Dinosaur Jr. – Without a Sound (2xLP, Yellow Vinyl, Deluxe Edition)

Dinosaur Jr.'s Without A Sound arrived in 1994 at a difficult turning point for the band: longtime drummer Murph had left, J Mascis was dealing with personal bereavement, and the record was performed primarily by Mascis with Mike Johnson. That context matters, because the album channels Dinosaur Jr.'s fuzz and volume into something more inward-looking without losing the force of Mascis' guitar playing. It also became their biggest US charting album, reaching No. 44, and helped push the group further into the alternative-rock mainstream.

The songs balance bruised melody with the heavy, singed edges that made Dinosaur Jr. distinct in the first place. Feel The Pain became the key single, while I Don't Think So and the melancholy sweep of the album around it show how Mascis was refining the band's mix of weary vocals, hooks and blown-out solos. Source material also places the band on a wider international run at the time, and notes Blah turning up on Melrose Place, a reminder of how far Dinosaur Jr. had travelled from underground heroes to a recognisable mid-90s presence.

This expanded vinyl edition is especially appealing because it gathers related B-sides, instrumentals and live recordings from 1994, with several of those live tracks noted as previously unavailable on vinyl. Produced in conjunction with the artist and accompanied by liner notes from Mojo's Keith Cameron based on new interviews with Mascis, it adds useful context to an album that caught Dinosaur Jr. at their most accessible and commercially visible.

Features

• 2xLP, Yellow Vinyl, Deluxe Expanded Edition
• Remastered and expanded with related B-sides, instrumentals and mix versions
• Includes live recordings from 1994, with never-before-on-vinyl material
• Gatefold edition with liner notes by Keith Cameron, based on exclusive new interviews with J Mascis

Genre: Punk & Alternative