Green Mind (Bonus Tracks)

The scrappy little girl on the cover of Dinosaur Jr.’s Green Mind sums up the pugnacious spirit of this album. The band’s major-label debut (and follow-up to 1988’s acclaimed Bug) is a somewhat fractured affair, owing to drummer Patrick “Murph” Murphy’s limited participation in its tracks, but the skewed, deceptively ragged brilliance of the band often shines through here. Singer/guitarist J Mascis holds forth with passive-aggressive panache, drawling his way through such likeably gnarly numbers as “Blowing It,” “Muck” and “Water.” “How’d You Pin That One On Me” is a ferocious punk steeplechase, while “Thumb” wallows in a deep trough of grime-caked angst. Despite such bleak moments, the mood here is mostly cheerful, with “The Wagon” sounding almost giddy. As in the past, Mascis veers between searing electric assaults and placid acoustic interludes. “Puke and Cry” and the title song manifest the band’s funkier instincts by laying down brittle, twitching grooves. Green Mind is a worthy addition to Dinosaur Jr.’s bracing and influential body of work.