Well kiddos, as expected, tomorrow night's Dinosaur Jr. show at the Mohawk is sold-out. Their latest record I Bet on the Sky was released last month and it's the first new record from the band in 3 years. For better or for worse, the newest record still sounds like 90's college rock. Don't get that confused with the complete and total bullshit 90's "alt rock" you'll here on 101x. Dinosaur Jr. helped define a genre for a generation, they played louder, they melded styles and influences and they managed to excite audiences while sounding bored. In other words, they are your prototypical 90's-era college rockers. They're a bit aged now but they haven't compromised their aesthetic and rumor has it that their as loud as ever. If you missed out on your chance to see Dinosaur Jr. at the Mohawk Thursday, you should at least listen to their latest LP.
Dinosaur Jr. - Watch the Corners video via YouTube
It's sort of a strange pairing to have Shearwater open for Dinosaur Jr.. One band plays grinding, visceral guitar music, the other band features a dulcimer. I'm a big fan of Shearwater and I think their 2012 release Animal Life is one of their best to date. However, when you consider that Shearwater started as a side-project to feature the songs that were too quiet for Okkervil River it does seem like maybe Dinosaur Jr. + Shearwater might be a bit strange. I will say that Animal Life is much more rollicking than their previous releases. I also imagine this new song cycle takes on an even more energetic tone in the live setting. Although, I suppose any doubts I had about this pairing were quelled when I remembered how fucking balls-to-the-wall the song Immaculate is.
