Pitchfork

There's not a lot to say about a new Dinosaur Jr album that wasn't said when Without a Sound and Where You Been came out. In fact... Hand It Over sounds exactly like all of their other albums, despite the fact that My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields had a hand in producing it. Where is Kevin? Kevin! Kevin? No Kevin.

To some old fans, this record probably blows, showing the weathered old band just getting more weathery and suffering on the musical tip. However, I'm a fan of Dinosaur Jr sounds new and old, and what I have to say for them is that, even if this shit's got itself all predictable these days, at least it doesn't suck. The old adage "don't fix it if it ain't broken" comes to mind.

And let me also notify you that these dreaded more-of-same techniques have also worked (and continue to work) for Red House Painters and Low who don't suck, either. Still, if there's one thing that ought to be said to J Mascis and his Dino-buddies, it's this: after all these years, a change of pace might be kinda nice.