Family Reunion

Dinosaur Jr are relentless, and always have been. From crafting an impossibly loud brand of laconic guitar pop, to finding melody amidst the madness, flirting with commercial success and critical apotheosis, the core trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Emmett 'Murph' Murphy flagrantly threw convention to the wall and indelibly hewed a new path through the American underground. But just as unyielding as their music was, so were the inner tensions between Mascis and Barlow. This chapter of the band's history is either lionised or vehemently derided – yet the fact that it fails to be the conclusion to the band's story is potentially the most relentless aspect of all. With Barlow rejoining the fold in 2005, the trio have crafted three albums in Beyond, Farm and I Bet On Sky that not only bolster their reputation/notoriety, but rival anything that they have ever committed to tape. It might seem like a hokily poetic Hollywood story cliché, if it wasn't Dinosaur Jr.

“None of this seems very likely, does it?” Barlow laughs. “Ten years ago, I would have said no (to the idea). When we put out some reissues in 2005, it seemed like a logistical or realistic notion to get the band back together. For me, I tried not to take it personally because I had spent so much time investing all this negative energy into my memories of Dinosaur Jr that it was an opportunity to change that. I thought it might be necessary, that it was something I should try to do; to put things right in my own head. It works for me, that's for sure.”

The oft-quoted band-as-family dynamic wouldn't appear to apply to Dinosaur Jr, yet Barlow insists that such viewpoints not only undermine the band, they underline the concept of family also. “Families are always different,” he says. “It's quite common to fight, or have brothers who haven't spoken in years. It depends on what your association with family is. When some people say family they immediately think of dysfunctionality, whilst others will be like, 'Oh, family!' as if it's this great thing where everyone is welcome. Then with Murph, his role is really unique – he is kind of like the glue that keeps it all together. He's the guy who talks to both J and I, we are both really close to him in our own way. J has worked out his own way of communicating with him, and what is needed with the drums, and he respects J and what he has to say immensely. But Murph and me, he's lived at my house for periods of time; he knows my family really well. With J and I, we are in our own little worlds, we're socially different people, and Murph is the social butterfly, the backbeat of it all.”

The success of the original line-up, although not wiping the slate clean, allows the band – and Barlow himself – to exorcise some bad blood while expanding on Dinosaur Jr's musical legacy. True to form, there has been no public 'burying the hatchet' moment between Mascis and Barlow – the music heals all wounds.

“It's almost exactly the same as it was when I started out in the band,” Barlow admits. “The songwriting and creative things were never a problem for me; I never struggled against how the band put music together. J's always had a real specific idea – it starts with the drums and we work on that; sometimes he writes bass parts, although now I mostly write my own. Every time it comes to record I have to figure ways to make J and Murph interested in my ideas, which is a unique challenge. It's so similar, which is why our sound is so similar to what it was before, and why people allow us to keep making music, or come to see us play, or are excited when we put out new records. There was no need to alter that formula too much.”

There are some nuances present on I Bet On Sky that allude to benefits from Mascis's first true foray into solo territory after he released Several Shades Of Why, essentially broadening the sonic palette while staying true to the band's lauded idiosyncrasies that are prevalent on their past releases. Barlow is adamant that while there is room to stretch their creative wings, they will never stray far from what makes Dinosaur Jr iconic in the first place.

“Whenever I go into a project I am prepared for a particular dynamic – for Sebadoh I know where I stand, with Dinosaur I'm entering J & Murph World, and I'm into that, too,” Barlow continues. “It doesn't hurt to go off and do your own thing, but I think staying the same is kinda important. When I think about it in terms of being a music fan: did I like the Black Sabbath records where they started adding all these different things? No I did not! I like the Black Sabbath records that sound like Black Sabbath. Do I like In Through The Out Door by Led Zeppelin or do I like Led Zeppelin III? I like the Ramones, but do I like End Of The Century or do I like Rocket To Russia? When a band actually has a sound, where you have three or four idiots in a room and they make this sound that can't be replicated, and they do it without really knowing it, that's the real magic. And Murph, J and I are fortunate enough that we create what isn't really easily replicated. So whilst I like some of the new things (on I Bet On Sky) – J added some keyboards and that sounds cool – there is also a lot of simplicity on the record, too.”

Barlow has seen a resurgence in his writing and playing. Last year saw two of Barlow's tracks make I Bet On Sky (Rude, Recognition) and the emergence of the first new material from Sebadoh in over a decade, with the promise of an album later this year. To see Barlow finding a happy and productive co-existence with Dinosaur Jr and the band he formed after the bitter split is another unthinkable reality, and bodes well for the foreseeable future.

“For me, playing in those bands is different sides of the same coin,” Barlow states. “There is a certain confidence that Dinosaur Jr has, because we have such a unique sound, it's like you are behind an object, and it gives me something that I don't normally have. When I'm with Sebadoh, the band is so much more affected by the atmosphere, there is so much more communication with the audience, there is more factors involved. Whereas with Dinosaur we just show up, set up the amps and bam! Yet you do one for enough time and you miss the other – the risk from night to night, the communication with my band members, and the lack of confidence, it can be that it's like I miss that too. I like the confidence; I like being vulnerable – that give and take.”

Dinosaur Jr will be playing the following dates:

Tuesday 12 March - Astor Theatre, Perth WA
Thursday 14 March - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane QLD
Friday 15 March - Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast QLD
Saturday 16 March - The Hi-Fi, Sydney NSW