By 1993, J Mascis had recruited Mike Johnson,
and after the somewhat underwhelming Green Mind, Mascis took centre stage to
make what was a far more enjoyable album.
It opens with the riff-heaven of Out There,
a real guitar hero track superior to anything on Green Mind. Mascis’ vocals are still a real strain as he
croaks “I know you’re oouuuttt theerrre” but it’s really about his guitar
playing, along with Murph’s fine drumming.
The bouncy, almost funky Start Choppin follows, with more powerful
guitar and the introduction of Mascis’ goofy falsetto.
Many of the tracks, What Else Is New, Get
Me and Drawerings are showcases for J Mascis’ guitar soloing, straying closer
and closer into ‘classic rock’ territory.
A couple of mellower moments produce mixed results. Mascis’ falsetto on Not The Same is too
distracting for the track to work.
Later, Goin’ Home is more relaxed, carried by a very pleasant organ. Punkier moments like On The Way and Hide
still have their place also, giving the album a fairly diverse sound. Not quite an essential Dinosaur Jr album, but
a very enjoyable one.
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