Guns N’Roses

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MUSIC MUSIC With the release of Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not, Dinosaur Jr.’s original lineup is now responsible for more music since its 2005 reformation than during its original 1984-1989 tenure. While leader J. Mascis went on to craft four more albums during the 1990s under the Dinosaur Jr. moniker before pulling the plug, the significance and irony of the band’s second act cannot be underestimated during an era in which most of its reunited peers— ranging from the Pixies to Jane’s Addiction—coast on nostalgia, devoting a majority of time to touring and little, if any, to new albums. Dinosaur Jr. Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not Jagjaguwar, LP or CD Regularly labeled slackers by critics and fans, Dinosaur Jr. has since proven its anything but creative loafers. The group’s latest powder keg of a record arrives as the latest evidence in a series of post-reunion releases that includes 2007’s Beyond, 2009’s Farm, and 2012’s I Bet on Sky—records that not only justify the ensemble’s decision to get back together, but also attest to its vitality. Particularly when the current state of guitar rock is considered. Their status as senior emissaries aside, Mascis and his mates still make the style feel distinctive and dynamic, an eclectic link between classic rock, midperiod punk, and haphazard indie. Akin to the trio of albums that precede it, Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not values songwriting and chemistry. Mascis, bassist/vocalist Lou Barlow, and drummer Murph establish a cohesiveness that reflects in the performances. Songs benefit from openness and interplay. There’s a sense that every sound on the record belongs to the band, and not just an individual. Mascis’ high-decibel, tree-limbdowning solos command plenty of attention but don’t stand alone or apart from the overall mix. ©Photo by Levi Walton Such codependency and trust are still relatively new concepts for Dinosaur Jr. They also account for why a majority of tunes here come across not as attempts to recreate the past, but as music that builds on established sonic traits and expands outward. As expected, Mascis’ guitar work doubles as the equivalent of a wide-mouth river that cuts across canyons, zips through valleys, careens down mountainsides, and empties out into vast bodies of water. Hovering close to the pocket, he never loses control, even when unfurling fuzz-laden psychedelic runs or heaping thick, sludge-coated distortion atop pop-based melodies—the likes of which cause the catchy, liberating, hook-enriched “Tiny” to take up residence in listeners’ heads and stay for hours on end. Mascis’ signature crunch blends with sitarlike effects on the coda of “Goin Down,” the combination opening the album with a magnetic edge that goes hand-in-glove with the invitational “are you with me?” refrain. On the ambling “Good to Know,” he resurrects the Neanderthal metal stomp of his side project, Witch, and tempers the heaviness with an extended nasal phrasing and staggered chords. Black-hole-bound wah-wah effects mesh with quick, chopping riffs and ripcord fills on “Good to Know,” during which it seems a dozen different patterns unfold behind the scenes. The latter is a credit to Mascis’ multi-faceted abilities as well as Barlow and Murph, who shape solid rhythmic foundations and etch their own signatures into songs. 40 TONE AUDIO NO.78 AUGUST 2016 41
MUSIC mu-sic mil-len-ni-um a place where the music & people still matter #9 on the List of Best Record Stores in the Country A false ending on the jangling maturity and depth unimaginable on “I Told Everyone” doubles as a trap early Dinosaur Jr. albums. “Knocked door leading to a cellar, Dinosaur Around” engages with similar intricacy. After initially wobbling about to Jr. pulling everyone in a different direction when they least expect it. Mascis’ shaky falsetto and brushed Barlow’s distinct low-end notes on chords, the tempo and narration “Mirror” hold everything together and shift, with the band pounding, rattling, and shaking floorboards via a generate a taffy-pull groove. For “Be One of America’s Best a Part,” the group employs restraint, rugged spree that recalls the noisy Record Stores highlighting gauzy tones and analog charge of its early SST albums. synthesizer lines central to maintaining a contemplative vibe. “Love Is...,” “I got more to say,” Mascis one of two tracks on which Barlow drawls early on the album, the truthful declaration less of a protest and www.musicmillennium.com assumes lead vocal duties, could pass as a lost 5th Dimension outtake from the late 1960s. Its folksy from a trio making a case for the more a state-of-the-union address 3158 E. Burnside Portland, Oregon 97214 thrum, country-feedback midsection, best second-act run of its generation. —Bob Gendron Phone: (503) 231-8926 and forgiveness themes point to a 42 TONE AUDIO NO.78 ©Photo by Levi Walton AUGUST 2016 43
Page 1 and 2: Music.Gear.Style. No.78 August 2016
Page 3 and 4: 96 tone style 90 Anker SoundCore Bl
Page 5 and 6: PUBLISHER’S LETTER WELCOME N03 TO
Page 7 and 8: SNAPSHOT SNAPSHOT Bruce Dickinson,
Page 9 and 10: OLD SCHOOL 18 TONE AUDIO NO.78 FEAT
Page 11 and 12: LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC Guns N’ Ros
Page 13 and 14: LIVE MUSIC Not that Guns N’ Roses
Page 15 and 16: LIVE MUSIC Adorned in his signature
Page 17 and 18: Mobile Fidelity The Original Audiop
Page 19: MUSIC “I’ll always be the girl
Page 23 and 24: MUSIC MUSIC On the surface, the con
Page 25 and 26: MUSIC MUSIC 50 TONE AUDIO NO.78 Wha
Page 27 and 28: MUSIC ( ) future proof + benchmark
Page 29 and 30: MUSIC MUSIC Lucy Dacus’ debut beg
Page 31 and 32: PASS MUSIC ©Photo by Alysse Gafkje
Page 33 and 34: Reference MUSIC Reorchestrated Shaw
Page 35 and 36: MUSIC Beth Orton Kidsticks Anti-, L
Page 37 and 38: INTERVIEW INTERVIEW Buzz Osborne is
Page 39 and 40: INTERVIEW INTERVIEW Original Melvin
Page 41 and 42: JOURNEYMAN AUDIOPHILE FEATURE The W
Page 43 and 44: JOURNEYMAN AUDIOPHILE FEATURE Futur
Page 45 and 46: TONE STYLE TONE STYLE Anker SoundCo
Page 47 and 48: TONE STYLE TONE STYLE Eunique DJ Pi
Page 49 and 50: TONE STYLE Muzo Cobblestone $59.00
Page 51 and 52: MUSIC W MUSIC audiophile Pressings
Page 53 and 54: MUSIC SON OF A GUN W There is no mi
Page 55 and 56: FEATURE PERSONAL FIDELITY More than
Page 57 and 58: PERSONAL FIDELITY FEATURE FEATURE t
Page 59 and 60: FEATURE FEATURE PERSONAL FIDELITY U
Page 61 and 62: MUSIC MUSIC JAZZ & BLUES His abilit
Page 63 and 64: MUSIC MUSIC This is exactly the kin
Page 65 and 66: MUSIC MUSIC He also improvises with
Page 67 and 68: MUSIC MUSIC 134 TONE AUDIO NO.78 Br
Page 69 and 70: FEATURE FEATURE The concept of mati
Page 71 and 72:
FEATURE easy and smooth. No jumpine
Page 73 and 74:
PREVIEW PREVIEW Audio Research PH-9
Page 75 and 76:
Dynamic - energetic - alive www.gam
Page 77 and 78:
REVIEW On Johnny Cash and Willie Ne
Page 79 and 80:
REVIEW REVIEW A Pair of Relatively
Page 81 and 82:
REVIEW Staying in the obscure groov
Page 83 and 84:
REVIEW Compact Performer The Conrad
Page 85 and 86:
REVIEW Initial listening in my seco
Page 87 and 88:
REVIEW REVIEW M Power-Packed Perfec
Page 89 and 90:
REVIEW Simply plug everything into
Page 91 and 92:
REVIEW REVIEW By Rob Johnson At TON
Page 93 and 94:
REVIEW Class A solid state amplifie
Page 95 and 96:
REVIEW Especially interesting is th
Page 97 and 98:
FROM THE WEB Take TONE With You Lar
Page 99 and 100:
BARGAINS Slummin’ The High-End Su
Page 101:
Manufacturers Links LINKS Where to
show all

Guns N’Roses

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?