I Bet On Sky
Amherst, MA
(Jagjaguwar)
“The Pride of Amherst can’t help but make other ’90s reunion bands look stale”
I Bet on Sky instantly delivers on the promise of that oh-so-suitable-for-framing cover. Bilious waves of warm psychedelia welcome you on opener “Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know,” wherein Dinosaur Jr. brings out their inner John Paul Joneses and throw some Mellotron on top of everything else and, as usual, bring the ruckus. It’s a warmer, more open sound than what we’ve heard before. The guitar part, with chords played high on the neck, could very well be a U2 riff with the echo turned off.
It seems unfair to call Dinosaur Jr.’s new resurgence a reunion anymore.
After it was proven that initial, um, reunion album Beyond (2007) was more than an uninspired excuse to tour (see: A Different Kind of Truth), it should be noted that they have developed a mastery of all the things that made them great in the first place: big drums and constant soloing that doesn’t overpower the song (which themselves flirt that hard edge between The Song Remains the Same and Cowgirl in the Sand). This album is a step forward for the group, albeit not exactly a huge one. But do you really want DJ to be Wilco or My Morning Jacket and drastically change with each album? When was the last time you listened to “Highly Suspicious”? Know thyself.
Produced by J. Mascis