Freak Scene

Trust Me #53 - Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

Freak Scene was my introduction to Dinosaur Jr. This was probably back in 1992 and very probably through my  my friend Grant Mitchell who used to make me some super cool mixtapes. Grant was so on it with Americian independent guitar music. Freak Scene led me to buy the bands Fossils compilation on CD from Missing Records and I've followed the band ever since.

Freak Scene was originally released in 1988, as a single and on Bug, the bands 3rd album. J Mascis' guitar sounds absolutely captivated me. In Freak Scene he has a couple of Townsend windmill moments after the first verse (that contains the memorable line the weirdness flows between us), then there is a heavy chugging riff before J breaks out of it with a super clean jangle sound, before going back to the heavy chug.

As the second verse begins (the first repeated again) there is an acoustic, J's vocal is pretty hushed but then things explode after 90-seconds as Mascis sings;

So fucked I can't believe it

If there's a way I wish we'd see it

How it could work, just can't conceive it

Oh what a mess, is just to leave it

Mascis then shreds his guitar gloriously, creating a truly beautiful noise. Then it cuts as he brilliantly rhymes thrill you, kill you, will you, still you - utter genius. Super cool and outstanding use of swearing.

Sometimes I don't thrill you

Sometimes I think I'll kill you

Just don't let me fuck up will you

'cause when I need a friend it's still you

Dinosaur Jr then make the last 60-seconds sound like being in an indie punk guitar band is the most fun thing you could ever do with your life. In fact they do that throughout the song! But they really hammer it in the last minute! They sound so fucking cool, fun, fresh and vital.

Verse, guitars, repeat verse in a different way, chorus?, guitar solo, verse, another guitar solo.

Long live J Mascis!

Original video

Trailer for Freakscene - The Story Of Dinosaur Jr

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. Freak Scene joins them.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

I Ran Away by Dinosaur Jr

Pic by Cara Totman

Later this month Dinosaur Jr will release Sweep Into Space, their 12th studio album, on 30th April. Co-produced by J Mascis and Kurt Vile, my appetite for the LP has been hugely enhanced by I Ran Away which is the sound of vintage Dinosaur Jr.

J Mascis' voice is beautifully strained and soulful, his guitar playing still makes me want to pick up an electric guitar, his rhyming style is at peak flowing levels. 

All in all, I Ran Away is everything I could possibly hope to hear from Dinosaur Jr in 2021 and more. Are they still this good, this fresh, this exciting - YES!

Sweep Into Space will be the bands 5th album since Mascis, Barlow and Murph re-united back in 2005, playing shows that then led to 2007's Beyond LP.

Mascis and Barlow continue to release solo/Sebadoh albums, but there is no denying that they create something special when they come together with Murph on drums.

The meet me where I know 3rd verse is written in exactly the same style and structure as the first two verses, but it's delivered differently, like a middle eight, it's so clever, so brilliant. And J's fills after each line in the chorus are sublime, the rhythm section is just constant, allowing the magic to happen. J's guitar solo is 25-seconds of escapism and pure joy.

35-years since their debut album, Dinosaur Jr continue to amaze and excite. Roll on the album and I hope we see the band return to Glasgow next year.

You can order Sweep Into Space from the good people at Monorail by CLICKING HERE

Dinosaur Jr at the Art School

Last night Dinosaur Jr played their second sold out night at the Glasgow School of Art and blasted away everyone's winter blues (minus 8 outside) with an array of warm guitars.

It was my first time seeing Dinosaur Jr, despite being into the band for a couple of decades and going through a phase of collecting their 7-inch singles. I was looking forward to seeing J Mascis shredding his guitar and blasting out songs from their long history. They didn't disappoint.

Everyone was wrapped up for the cold weather outside, so it was a little bit disappointing that the Art School didn't have a cloakroom open. So everyone was roasting inside.

Spinning Coin were supporting and they charmed the crowd, generating a good response from their mix of melodic songs (Sean Armstrong) and powerful (Jack Mellin). They've had a great year with a string of headline show, some fantastic support slots and the November release of their debut album Permo BLOG HERE

My brother and I departed for the downstairs bar and bumped into old school friend Grant Mitchell and his friend Mark Richie. Grant is an incredibly passionate record collector and had been to Lou Barlow's Nice n Sleazy matinee show the afternoon before, as well as Dinosaur Jr the night before. He told us we were in for a treat.

The Art School is a cracking venue, although the positioning of the sounddesk creates a bit of a bottleneck down either side. We skipped down the right hand side to the front and thankfully found we could dump our jackets by the stage.

Dinosaur Jr came on, Lou Barlow looked hyper, J Mascis looked relaxed/stoned/unbothered by the fanfare that greeted them. Grant made us laugh with his story that the crowd sang 'happy birthday' to him the previous night and he never even acknowledged it!

Mascis' guitar playing was a joy to watch, he just makes it look easy - zipping about his frets and creating joyful riffs and melodies.

Barlow was the star of the night for me though; looking trim and cool, acting like Animal from The Muppets had leapt from his drum kit to discover the joy of playing bass. He jumped, rocked out, played way up the neck of the bass, thrashed around and generally made it look fun and super cool.

Dinosaur Jr were tight, at times assisted by a second drummer. The songs from last years Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not are among their very best, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that Feel The Pain, Start Choppin' and Freakscene weren't my favourites.

I remember getting guitar lessons as an 18-year old and asking for help figuring out how to play Start Choppin'. So it was great to watch J's fingers dance around his various guitars and work his pedals and whammy bar and it was hard to take my eyes of Lou Barlow who was just the embodiement of indie cool.

How cool to rock up in a city and play a couple of small shows at the Art School and also do a matinee show at Sleazys? Indie cool.

Fade Into You by J Mascis

My copy of Uncut arrived through the post this week and my heart skipped a beat when I read about Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis covering Mazzy Star's classic 'Fade Into You'.

The result is beautiful, pulling on heartstrings as Mascis sings in a fragile and fractured voice over warm   and earthly acoustic guitar. The solo towards the end is just stunning.

I could listen to this on a loop for hours.