Sweep It Into Space is Dinosaur Jr.’s first new collection of music since
2016’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not, continuing what is perhaps the
greatest “second act” of any band ever. Originally scheduled for mid-2020,
this record's temporal trajectory was thwarted by the coming of the Plague. But
it would take more than a mere Plague to tamp down the exquisite fury of this
trio when they are fully dialled-in. And Sweep It Into Space is a masterpiece of
zoned dialling.
In the decades since the release of Dinosaur Jr.‘s original triptych of
foundational albums, it has become clear that their sound, once hailed as a sort
of almost-tamed noise, is/was/always-has-been fully functioning pop music of a
sort. There had always been melodies at the centre of everything they did. What
Dinosaur Jr. produces is nothing but a beautiful new version of the rock
continuum – riff, power, beat and longing, created with an eye on the
infinite future.
Recorded, as usual, at Amherst's Biquiteen, the sessions for Sweep It Into
Space began in the late Autumn of 2019, following a West Coast/South East tour.
The only extra musician used this time was Kurt Vile, who co-produced the album
and played the lead 12 string on the upbeat “I Ran Away.” J Mascis’
voice is immediately catchy over soaring, electrifying guitar lines.
After recording with Kurt got disrupted, J Mascis “ended up just mimicking a
few things he'd done. I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was
trying to get some of that duelling twin lead sound. But the recording session
was pretty well finished by the time things really hit the fan. When the
lockdown happened in March, that meant I was on my own. But it was cool.”
As is typical, Lou Barlow writes and sings two of the album's dozen tunes
(delivering perhaps his finest Dinosaur contribution in “Garden”) and
Murph's pure-Flinstonian drumming drives the record like a go cart from Hell.
Lou's songs here are as elegant as always. J's tracks flow and flower in the
different directions he often follows. Some are guitar howlers, with a string
sound midway between Hendrix and Asheton. Some are power ballads, and there are
anomalies, like “Take It Back,” which starts with a blue-beat rhythm putting
one in mind of Keith Richards’ Jamaican explorations (at least for a
little bit.)
