Without A Sound is the sixth album from Amherst, Massachusetts rock band, Dinosaur Jr. Consisting of guitarist and vocalist J Mascis, bassist/vocalist Lou Barlow, and the drummer, Murph, the band was founded in 1984. Murph and Barlow weren’t featured on this record, as it was all handled by J Mascis on guitar, vocals, and drums, and Mike Johnson on bass (No not the current Speaker of the House). This specific album I’m covering falls under the alternative rock and indie rock genres, but much of their earlier catalog falls under those two genres as well as noise rock and lo-fi. Before this review I had only heard one of their songs, “Feel the Pain,” which might be the most famous track in their discography. Here are my thoughts.

    We are introduced to the album with the main single of the record, “Feel the Pain.” Funny enough, I first discovered this track as a kid when I played Rockband 2 on the Wii. It’s quite a melancholy track lyrically and sonically, and I really like the two main guitar riffs. That arpeggiated lick that then shifts to a power chord riff is really memorable and remained stuck in my head the first time I heard it. Then it shifts to more upbeat and complicated guitar solos that sound totally different. As for the lyrical side of things, the backstory behind this track is incredibly sad as J Mascis’ dad died during the making of the album. The lyrics aren’t explicitly talking about it but the main refrain, “I feel the pain of everyone. Then I feel nothing,” is an incredibly heartbreaking line. The relatively happy sound of the guitar solos mask a deeper, darker message behind the track. It’s talking about empathy and becoming numb to the fact that death is inevitable. After that, I didn’t really find the album to be particularly memorable. I like the guitar riffs, guitar solos, and overall production on tracks like, “I Don’t Think So,” “Yeah Right,” and “Outta Hand,” but the vocal delivery of J Mascis gets a bit irritating after a while. The instrumentation makes up for a lot of the weak vocal performances from Mascis, and while I think he’s a strong producer and guitarist, his vocals just can be really hard to listen to at times.

    While Dinosaur Jr. is an incredibly influential band when it comes to the genre of alternative rock, I only see myself coming back to like 3 or 4 tracks on this album. The strong point is easily the instrumental composition and production of this record, and the thing bringing the album down is the vocal performances. The groaning drawl of J Mascis’ vocals can really ruin the promising guitar melodies and overall instrumentation of these tracks. I know that the band has inspired a lot of musicians, and that “Feel the Pain,” is a very serious track, but there are so many better 90s alternative rock bands to listen to like Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, just to name a few. Not a terrible album, but I definitely expected more from a band that has influenced so many great musicians.

Overall Score: 5/10

Favorite Tracks: “Feel the Pain,” “I Don’t Think So,” “Yeah Right,” “Outta Hand,”

Least Favorite Tracks: “Even You,” “Seemed Like the Thing To Do,”

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkkKimuDNIQ

Genres: Alternative Rock/Indie Rock