6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How does he do it?, December 18, 2000
This review is from: Hand It Over (Audio CD)
Hand It Over is a brilliant, complex, diverse and fitting end to the Dinosaur Jr era. While I thought all the bad press from fans and critics for Without a Sound was hugely unfair, it's true that this album really shows a much more involved and dedicated J Mascis. With almost every track, Mascis has worked the song structure, vocals and instrumentation to their most intruiging possibilities.
What defines this album is the variety and the particulars. The opener, "I Don't Think," leads off with a thunderous, bass-driven boom enveloping a falsetto vocal, then lapses into a wistful folky chorus. "Nothing's Going On" is a straight-ahead, slow-tempo rocker with heavy guitar overdrive and a straight snare-drum beat. "I'm Insane," one of the album's strongest cuts, features a loopy trumpet doing an off-key dance as the song switches between a dark stall and a manic chorus. "Can't We Move This" is the most probably the most satisfying track for fans of the middle albums, with a lot of slashing guitar work and the Marshalls set on Kill, again set against the fascinating counterpoint of an almost inaudible falsetto vocal. "Alone" is a three-chord feedback masterpiece which is the closest clone of Neil Young ever recorded by Mascis (and that's not a slight; it's brilliant in its own right). My personal favorite is "Loaded," with its agonized, gut-twisting vocal and chainsaw guitar line. The slower cuts, notably "Never Bought It" and "Sure Not Over You," are more classic Mascis, reminiscent of "Where You Been." "Getting Rough" is played on a banjo and might be taken as J's reflection on - and farewell to - Dinosaur Jr. This record really shows what music can be in the hands of determined genius; thank you J, and farewell Dino.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is "Loaded" with good songs., September 19, 2004
This review is from: Hand It Over (Audio CD)
There's some "DJ" fans who will only listen to their early albums, but I actually really enjoy everything they've done, and this is no exception. "Hand It Over" is probably most similar to "Without A Sound", which would make sense. In fact, "Nothin's Goin' On" is kind of the "Feel The Pain" of this album, to my ears anyway. "Never Bought It" is a great track, as is "Mick", and "Alone" has the old "Neil Young" epic feel to it. The only track that's a bit jarring is "I'm Insane", mostly because it has horns on it, which some may like. I'd say if you're a fan of 90's "Dinosaur Jr.", you'll want to dig this up. They do have a collection out also.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wasn't expecting this., July 6, 1999
This review is from: Hand It Over (Audio CD)
My favorite Dinosaur Jr. Albums are the ones with "Lou Barlow" in them. Specifically "Dinosaur" and "You're Living all Over Me". I kinda lost interest in the 90s. But i must say, this was a shocker. I never thought this album would be this good. His work with Belinda Butcher and Kevin Shields from My "Bloody Valentine" on this record certainly adds soemthing to it. All of you who are nervous about getting this because of their last few albums, try it. I'm sure you'll like it. Also check it out if you're an MBV fan.
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