Bouncing back from the staid Without a Sound, J Mascis turns in his most eclectic album since Green Mind with Dinosaur Jr.s Hand It Over. Dinosaurs bedrock sound hasnt changed -- its still a sprawling, electric mess of hard rock filtered through folk-rock song structures -- but Mascis plays with the arrangements, adding strings, trumpets, and on a handful of tracks, My Bloody Valentines slippery guitar orchestrations and vocals (Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher both sing on the album). These additions make the music sound fresh, but they would only be window dressing if Mascis songs werent as strong as they are. Again, his progressions are subtle, but songs like I Dont Think, Nothins Goin On, Cant We Move This, and Sure Not Over You are fine additions to his catalog, and help make Hand It Over one of Dinosaur Jr.s most consistent and best records. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rovi