Dinosaur Jr. - You’re Living All Over Me

SST

December 14th, 1987.

Dinosaur/Dinosaur Jr's heavily influential debut record was release on this day in 1987. A flagship for the alt-rock scene and a pervasive project in noise rock circles, You're Living All Over Me casts shadows over the lo-fi/indie landscape.

Raucous and rough around all edges, yet sharp as a blade, Dinosaur Jr. cuts through - J Mascis' chosen effects and style of play deviates from the norm. Feedback, distortion, and a sense of inconsequential feel were weaponized by Mascis in a way which would later become characterized by the alternative rock scene. Akin to monsters trapped in the ether, Mascis' frantic guitarwork can feel like it's pulled from the beyond - another plane of existence, another realm. Quirky and cutting-edge, Dinosaur Jr. set the template for the noisier and nerdier side of the indie spectrum. Shy to the woes of life, an innocence pervades You're Living All Over Me - a sense of 'why not' is conjured up over it's runtime; it adds a tangible sense of fresh and free to the material.

Dumb at times, Dinosaur Jr. play as if on the edge of disaster; the whole thing could come crashing in on itself at any given moment. It adds a sense of unknowing to the already chaotic and caustic mix. Devoured by corrosive effects, You're Living All Over Me is enamoured with scathing, and at times ear-wrenching, noise. Potentially damaging to your sense of hearing, Dinosaur Jr. drill their sound home. A sense of innocence radiates, however. No malice is intended over the course of the assault. Dinosaur Jr. make one hell of a racket - some would say a wall of noise, understandably - for a three-piece. Musical endeavours don't come as unrefined, yet distilled to perfection, as this - it is the purest of gems.

"I try to think what's over me, it makes me crawl"