Where You Been in Bloomington, MN

By the time
Where You Been
surfaced, Seattle had completely exploded, and given that
Dinosaur Jr.
's sound, attitude, and more were as proto-slacker as could be, the temptation must have been great to cash in. But
J Mascis
stuck to his guns, and there's little about
that would have seemed out of place on
Green Mind
or even some earlier records. Recorded with a full band throughout,
Mike Johnson
and
Murph
lay down does-the-job rhythm tracks while
Mascis
tackles almost everything else.
is occasionally moody and dark but otherwise is more rough fun. Opening track
"Out There"
is one of the most mournful things
has recorded, with an especially yearning chorus, but his fiery solo still makes it classic
"Start Choppin"
immediately follows, its quick, catchy lead riff helping to make it as close to a radio hit as the band ever had -- and, of course, a big ol' solo or two adding to the fun of it all. From there on in it's a pureed blast of
punk
, classic
rock
, and more. It may be business as usual, but it's good business just the same, whether it's the gentle
"Not the Same,"
on which
does his best
Neil Young
impersonation, or the stuttering feedback snorts and rips on
"Hide,"
on which he borrows a bit back from disciple
Kevin Shields
. Other highlights include
"Get Me,"
a melancholic, steady cruncher with another trademark solo of the gods, and the unjustly ignored
"What Else Is New,"
which sounds like a mid-'70s
ballad
with louder volume and none of the crud, right down to the concluding string section. ~ Ned Raggett