90's Jams #10: Dinosaur Jr. "Out There" (1993)

Top 10 is where shit starts to get real... starting with some kick-down-the-fucking-door loud rock from the mighty Dinosaur. The post-Nevermind era was EXTREMELY welcoming of these guys, issuing absurd amounts of PR (such as SPIN's June 1993 "J Mascis Is God" cover story) and generous MTV spins (especially the Spike Jonze-directed Buzz Clip for "Feel The Pain"). So they definitely fit into the era nicely, and unlike the AIC's and STP's, never lacking authenticity or true talent. The nasally vocals are often cited by naysayers as Dinosaur's weakest attribute.. Well, the blues isn't always pretty, and the overwhelming melancholy of the vocals on "Out There" is anything but fake, matching the bittersweet mournfulness of the guitar sound. The common cliché of 90's rock lies in its gloominess, of which this track is surely an A+ example, with guitar solos drenched in sadness and longing... The song kicks off Where You Been when Murph was welcomed back behind the drums one more time, while Lou Barlow's bass crunches and major-5th's had been missing since 2 albums ago... In his place was fuller-sounding production, and the beginning of an era that sounded more and more like J Mascis solo-records with every album, until finally the name was changed to J Mascis + The Fog. In this regard, "Out There" was the enormously promising start to this 2nd era, lasting from 1993 until the reforming of the original 3 members in 2006.