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That the music of Beyond rocks so righteously in a way that sounds like a conscious progression from where they left off with Bug, rather than a misguided attempt to recreate the past, makes this unlikely recording comeback all the more incredible.
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Beyond isn't merely a worthy album from a reunited band, it's simply a great record by any standard.
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It kicks ass.
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As usual, Mascis' guitar--a stirring strength, charming and expressive, a poignant power, is the star of this show--and as a whole unit, they haven’t sounded this good in about sixteen years.
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Beyond, the band's first record as the selfsame trio since 1988's Bug, benefits enormously-- more so even than fellow MA-veterans Mission of Burma or latter-day Sonic Youth-- from the years, experiences, successes, and disappointments elapsed between then and now.
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Their most triumphant mix of fuzzed-out fury, face-melting fretwork and merry-but-messy melodies.
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Despite Beyond’s tendency to feel like a career retrospective in spots, it contains plenty of songs that rival Mascis’s best work.
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Though too long at 50 minutes, Beyond is an often thrilling reminder of this essential band's heyday.
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These 50 minutes of music are as cohesive as they are conquering.
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UrbBeyond doesn't break any new ground, but... it's as refreshing as anything you're likely to hear all year. [May 2007, p.93]
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Mascis' ear-bleeding guitar soloing is ever prevalent, but there's a dynamism in the music here that was missing in previous efforts.
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MojoBeyond is the better-produced natural successor to 1987's epochal You're Living All Over Me. [May 2007, p.104]
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It's in between the showboating, when Mascis demonstrates his folk and country-tinged melodies and subtle but elaborate leads that you realize what you're listening to is pretty fucking close to genius.
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This is an album that sits well alongside classics such as 1987's 'You're Living All Over Me'. In other words: a genuine monster.
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What’s most remarkable about the record is its incredible level of musical cohesion – it’s like the trio never stopped playing together.
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It’s great to hear, on Beyond, that the group can capture that magic again.
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Amazingly, "Beyond" picks up where 1988's "Bug" left off, with only slightly more streamlined polish but with the old love of volume and excess still sweetly intact.
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Essentially the real joy is to hear the three original members locking in so tightly together.
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Under The RadarWith a sound closer to the Sire output than their SST days, Mascis throws around his best set of songs since Where You Been. [#17, p.84]
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The spiraling, distortion-drenched guitar solos, the cracked and ruined moan of Mascis, the passive-aggressive romanticism, the relentless beat, the pedals, the sheer turbulent volume...it's just like Where You Been? all over again, with all the positives and negatives that the comparison implies.
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It sounds exactly like a Dinosaur Jr album should.
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Coming in 2007 it sounds oddly fresh, but nothing here’s as full-on as their early stuff or as lovely as Feel The Pain.
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There is something almost eerie about how exactly the Dinosaur Jr of 2007 sound like the Dinosaur Jr of 1988.
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Beyond’s main flaws come in a lack of variety.
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SpinEven the production on Beyond sounds plucked from the trio's Bug heyday. [May 2007, p.85]
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Rabid Dinosaur Jr fans will find plenty here to enjoy.
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BlenderThe elliptical vein opening, restless country twang and surging metal riffage have never sounded more confident. [Jun 2007, p.107]
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Beyond's highlights not only stand comfortably with Dinosaur's legendary best, but they also sound like they could have been lost outtakes from the very same sessions.
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Apparently evolution is overrated.
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There isn't a bad song on Beyond—though both of Barlow's contributions slow things down a bit—but it never reaches the transcendent, wailing energy of Mascis' best.
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Q MagazineThe spark that made initial albums such as Bug so special is still missing. [May 2007, p.123]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 41 out of 45
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Mixed: 1 out of 45
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Negative: 3 out of 45
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DonJMay 6, 2007
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LiamNov 22, 2008Great, this is probably my favorite Dino jr. record and the only one that stands up to You're Living All Over Me.
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RachaelG.Nov 9, 2007