Dinosaur Jr

One of the more welcome of rock’s spate of reunions is that of college-rock legends Dinosaur Jr. After a spate of well-received shows in 2005, they’ve stepped up a gear and, quite simply, picked up where they left off. As the guitar solo on opener ‘Almost Ready’ kicks in after about, oh, two seconds it’s like the intervening 18 years, from old rave to new rave, haven’t happened at all. With tracks as good as ‘Back To Your Heart’ and the blistering ‘Pick Me Up’, it’s also clear that – unlike the embarrassment of that new Stooges album, or the let-down of last year’s Lemonheads comeback – this is an album that sits well alongside classics such as 1987’s ‘You’re Living All Over Me’. In other words: a genuine monster.

Nathaniel Cramp

8 out of 10