Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Dinosaur Jr. is the band that consummated the marriage between The Replacements and Nirvana and has survived the intolerable cruelties of the corporate rock and indie rock divorce. Nineteen years later they are now back to being the sole custody of the mother of indie rock and with that auspice comes the freedom to reclaim their youth and finally set the record straight for those of us who lost faith in Dinosaur Jr. during their corporate rock meanderings.
A decade has passed since the final release of their corporate obligation,Hand It Over, and in those ten years a lot has changed on the musical map. Longevity is not a virtue in the anti-Promethean charted seas of so-called new-fangled music that has come to dominate the first years of the 21st century. Bands come and go like a stunt cock in a porn movie. So for J, Lou and Murph to not only reunite in 2005, but also stay together long enough to create a phenomenal masterpiece two years later in this world of short-timers, is a sacrament for us worshippers of indie rock. Armed with the original line-up, their latest release sounds like they virtually picked up where they left off back when they released 1988’s Bug. Am I being nostalgic? Damn right I am! And I have every right to be nostalgic: just listen to this album and my case will be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Minus
The Bear-Planet Of Ice
At the request of my friend Aja (yes, her parents named her after the Steely Dan album), I am going to kowtow down to her appeal and give this band of sad bastard music a decent review, because she may be a bigger fan of the latest Band Of Horses recording than I, and I guess I owe her that. As a caveat emptor, I do admit that I have a hard time with white, able-bodied, males whining about their dire existence in a patriarchal modern capitalist society through their music and capitalizing on it in monetary values that you and I will never experience, and I also have a hard time appreciating this stab of mediocrity. But compared to The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, The Shins and all the other unhappy fatherless makers of smooth music, Minus the Bear actually piqued my interest with their minimalist approach to a unique blend of hypnotic harmony and progressive psychedelic rock.
As far as albums that knocked my socks off in 2007, Planet of Ice made sure those socks were well-laundered and presentable in case of the proverbial “accident.” This is one of those recordings that fall into the “well-rounded” vein of musical intellectualism. Don’t take that as a bad thing. All we critics should embrace unchallenging music for the mere fact that it may actually be entertaining. And in a nutshell, is that not what music is? A conduit of entertainment? Yes, we can recline back and make our armchair accusations, but, in the end, whether it be about music integrity or entertainment integrity, this endeavor is just a pastime and for me this latest recording has had a positive effect on my pastimes…if you doubt my objectivity…listen to Band Of Horses’ latest release and you will undoubtedly question neither Aja’s nor my picks of 2007’s great music.
Band of Horses-Cease
To Begin
Okay, I lied, I said this was in no particular order…but I had to save the best for last…enough said…if you don’t own this by now, I have one thing to say to you…LOSER!!!