Where You Been

Dinosaur Jr.'s baroque moment finds J. Mascis bringing in a string section and adding the occasional odd instrument himself to his band's power-trio splatter. But if Mascis is the Neil Young of the post-hard-core generation, that doesn't make WHERE YOU BEEN his HARVEST. Au contraire, it's still loaded with feedback squalls, distorted guitar solos and all other manner of electric melancholy. It does make WHERE YOU BEEN his most integrated pop moment, tipping the overall balance away from the sprawling noise and toward pop structure, offering some moments of sub-orchestral beauty.
"What Else Is New", a melodic rocker with its share of blues guitar leads, has a surprising two-minute coda that builds on a strummed acoustic guitar with a cello, then tympani, then a full string section. "Not The Same" is a ballad that seamlessly integrates those same elements with a gorgeously arpeggiated electric guitar motif, and a Young-like falsetto vocal.|