Dinosaur Jr.
Bug


5.0
classic

Review

by DarthMann USER (20 Reviews)
December 11th, 2012 | 309 replies


Release Date: 1988 | Tracklist

Review Summary: The music for all emotions and all times. If you're sad, listen to Bug. If you're happy, listen to Bug. If you suck, listen to Bug.


At night, before most people go to sleep, they ask themselves questions. What’s the meaning of life? How long will I live for? Will I be successful in my future endeavours? and so on, so forth. Yet before I go to sleep, I ask myself one simple question. Why is Dinosaur Jr. so good? For years I have pondered on this topic, and I have found no other response than ‘because they ***ing rule,’ and through my experiences, even Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t be able to find a flaw in this contention.

As the great music critic Cole Gutmeir once said (back in 1988 after the release of Bug) “Writing music like Dinosaur Jr. is the only way to write music. From this point on I don’t see why other bands even try anything else.” To this day his theory stands strong – Bug is still one of the greatest albums ever made, and the Dinosaur Jr. formula of Verse-Chorus-Verse-Solo-Solo-Solo-Solo-Solo-Chorus is still a staple in every musicians repertoire. But it is not only the influence of Bug that makes it an all-time classic – and if bands were judged off just influence, Bon Jovi would actually be respected by the wider music community. Thankfully, this is not the case, and it certainly doesn’t apply to Dinosaur Jr.’s 3rd release.

What J.Mascis and the boys created with Bug is an album that beholds an eloquent flow, and when paired with the incredible technicality, production, writing and chemistry Dinosaur Jr. display, it morphs into one of the most unique and incredible albums to ever be set loose into society. Every song off Bug features a lengthy, dwindling solo which has come to typify the playing style of Dinosaur Jr. All of these refrains are extremely melodious and portray the incredible amount of talent Mascis has in the palm of his hand (or more specifically, the tips of his fingers). The solos range from elegant and soaring on “Pond Song,” to an emotionally charged attack on “Don’t.” As well as Mascis’ incredibly ability with his guitar, his vocals are a notch above his contemporaries. Much like Dinosaur Jr.’s song writing, his singing varies from mellow to aggressive which gives the band a plethora of material and options to work with (in terms of song direction) – which they don’t hesitate to use. In short, Mascis has transcended the gap between man and god.

Throughout Bug, Dinosaur Jr. follow the same song structure during the majority of the album. Whereas this is generally where other rock bands fall down in attempting to create an irreplaceable record, this is actually the area where Dinosaur Jr. excel. The simple arrangement of each song suits as a stepping stone for them to bigger and better things – though the bare bones of each song is simple, there are layers upon layers of complexity and intricacy which transform Bug from a good alt rock album, to an all-time classic.

When asked to think of Bug, many thoughts instantly jump into mind. The incredible murky production and the extremely distorted guitars -which fuse to create an atmosphere atypical to even some of the best rock records- is one. The extremely energetic drumming (see “Yeah We Know”) is another. But perhaps the simplest, and most accurate way to describe this album comes in the form of one word: rules.

#yolo



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4.1
excellent
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Comments:Add a Comment 
demigod!
December 11th 2012


49628 Comments


good review dude pos

i should give this a check, only heard youre living all over me and its great.

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


didn't read yet but dino jr. is life so pos

will read later I promise

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


ok that was a short 'later', read it and it rules, very nice man

Chortles
December 11th 2012


21494 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

rock on posd

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


THIS IS A LONG DRIVE MOTHERFUCKER

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


dude your name is better you should write a letter to modest mouse and politely request that they change it and cut you 20% on past and future sales

RetroSpective
December 11th 2012


822 Comments


was gonna pos until i saw the bottom

YoYoMancuso
Staff Reviewer
December 11th 2012


19316 Comments

Album Rating: 4.2

nice review

Uranium
December 11th 2012


7549 Comments


sweet record

Chortles
December 11th 2012


21494 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

is this the best review i've ever read

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


verse chorus verse solo chorus solo solo solo bridge solo chorus solo verse solo yolo

mindleviticus
December 11th 2012


10585 Comments


Nice review darth. Albums just peachy

Ethics
December 11th 2012


4112 Comments


perhaps the simplest, and most accurate way to describe this review comes in the form of one word: rules.

#yolo


JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
December 11th 2012


62343 Comments


Dinosaur Jr. formula of Verse-Chorus-Verse-Solo-Solo-Solo-Solo-Solo-Chorus is still a staple in every musicians repertoire.

Pos

Ethics
December 11th 2012


4112 Comments


lol

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


so your fave is I don't wanna go there?

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


yeah I just said that cos mascis yolos for like 5 mins on that song haha

agreed what was that rules

my fave from I bet on sky is see it on your side

it's too hard to pick a fave overall though they jam so hard aaah

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


yeah dude heard both once or twice, can't remember much yet but I dug them a lot, lots more listens coming in next few weeks for sure

tommygun
December 11th 2012


27117 Comments


sweet mryrtmrn is off the leash

VheissuCrisis
Emeritus
December 11th 2012


1390 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Good work man, seriously got me wanting to give this a shot. One of those bands I've never got round to. POS.



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