Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me (1987)



You’re Living All Over Me was Dinosaur Jr’s second album and it was the one which they made their mark within the American underground scene. It was a key album in alternative rock in the late 80’s and today it still stands up as an essential alternative rock release as well as an ideal place to start with Dinosaur Jr. Some of the best indie and alternative albums of the 80’s are the ones that were never recorded quite right. The production on this album is very raw, ragged and lacks low-end, yet manages to capture the live energy of this band brilliantly complete with mistakes and all. It was the first album to predominantly feature J Mascis on lead vocals in contrast to their debut album Dinosaur which featured Lou Barlow on most of the lead vocals. One of the things I love most about Dinosaur Jr. is J’s detached and laconic vocals, which seem make him sound like he’s half asleep or completely baked. His vocals contrast very nicely with the noisy distorted sound that the band create and he also has a great sense of melody, these all combine brilliantly on the blinding opener ‘Fury Little Things’, the Black Sabbath jamming with Neil Young sound of ‘Sludgefeast’ and of course the excellent ‘Tarpit’. J’s guitar playing is second to none; sometimes wild and noisy yet sometimes melodic and relaxed. Lou Barlow also contributes very nicely here with the punk-influenced ‘Lose’ and of course the very lo-fi closing track ‘Poledo’, which is basically a collection of bedroom recordings stitched together.

If you are looking for the original Dinosaur Jr. in all their raw and youthful glory this is the album to get. You should also get the follow-up album Bug and their debut Dinosaur to complete their 80’s holy-trinity. There’s no doubting the impact that these albums have had on indie and alternative rock bands over the years since and their impact will continue to be felt for some time.

Recommended Songs: ‘Fury Little Things’, ‘Sludgefeast’, ‘Tarpit’


Drop Nineteens - Delaware (1992)



While the UK was the centre of the ‘Scene That Celebrates Itself’ a small number of bands stateside were starting to take notice of the shoegazing movement across the water. One of these bands included Boston’s Drop Nineteens who combined the sounds of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive with American indie rock influences from the likes of Dinosaur Jr., Pixies and Sonic Youth. Their music seems to have a distinct summery suburban feel to it which I find with some American alternative rock albums of the early 90’s such as The Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream and The Lemonheads’ It’s a Shame About Ray and it perhaps has a tingle of nostalgia to it rather than sound dated. Despite the noisy walls of guitar that feature predominantly in their sound the band have a distinct pop sensibility which really catches your attention. The opener ‘Delaware’ gives you a good indication of this but it is the killer single ‘Winona’ that really hits the nail on the head, its unforgettable melodies make this one of the best indie rock songs of the 90’s in my opinion. The band also had a few tricks of their own up their sleeves, ‘Reberrymemberer’ features walls of noisy guitar and submerged, indecipherable vocals alternating with intense screaming, thus proving that screaming can go very well with shoegaze. Also the minimalism of ‘Ease It Halen’ shows that the band were well capable of experimenting a bit and finding a sound of their own.

Drop Nineteens achieved far more success in the UK (where they received good press and indie chart success) than their native homeland where this album was unfortunately swallowed up by the domination of grunge. Nowadays this album stands up remarkably well on its own not only as a great American shoegaze album, but also deserving of a place in your collection alongside the likes of Nowhere, Loveless, The Comforts of Madness, Whirlpool, Souvlaki etc. I actually found this album on CD at a record fair not so long ago which was quite rare but I didn't have enough money for it unfortunately.

Recommended Songs: ‘Delaware’, ‘Winona’, ‘Reberrymemberer’