Album: Dinosaur Jr

Following three early albums on which their injection of anxious self-reflection and heavy rock chording into a moribund indie scene effectively sowed the seeds of grunge, Dinosaur Jr's original line-up split, leaving J Mascis to croak on dispiritedly through a few more albums. The first recordings in 18 years by the original trio of Mascis, drummer Murph and bassist Lou (Sebadoh) Barlow, Beyond follows acclaimed performances at both last year's All Tomorrow's Parties, and presents a band at the top of their game, not just reclaiming old territory but pushing its boundaries further out. Mascis's vocals still epitomise grunge apathy on songs like "Crumble" and "Almost Ready", while the bristling skeins of fuzz-guitar are intertwined skilfully to form the ropes which pull their riffs along. Elsewhere, Barlow's songs add variety - particularly "Back To Your Heart", which sounds like a heavier version of something Gene Clark might have done with the Byrds - while Mascis's ventures into the disquiet of "I Got Lost", and the jauntiness of "We're Not Alone", help hoist Beyond beyond their previous work.

DOWNLOAD THIS: 'Almost Ready', 'I Got Lost', 'Back to Your Heart', 'We're Not Alone'