Alt. rock legends Dinosaur Jr. return with their new album Farm which displays the band’s classic sound in a modern context. Whilst fans are eager to hear the new album, those who aren’t big fans may not be aware of what the fuss is about.
On the first few listens Farm sounded too much like an early Foo Fighters record. It didn’t take long though for the subtleties to slip through the tracks and lay on top of the song, such as the screaming guitar solo on Plans or the grunge/garage sound juxtaposed with clear modern production methods. The vocals are uniquely melodic and add to the wealth of the album, especially the harmonies on Your Weather.
The record as a whole, however, isn’t varied enough. Each song is a mid-tempo riff based chugging which gets tiresome quickly as all the tracks blend into one after a while. Whilst there are subtleties that stand out occasionally, they usually have to be listened out for carefully.

Farm probably would have been more suitable fifteen years ago, making it more for Dinosaur Jr’s bigger fans. Whilst it is very listenable and even quite enjoyable, Jr. needed to evolve their style much further for this to be a grand album.

By Josh Charig

Rating: 6/10
Format: Album
Label: PIAS
www.dinosaurjr.com