Dinosaur Jr. / Hand It Over by Mike Cardman Warner Music Hey, remember J. Mascis, that long-haired loner stoner kid with the headphones glued to his ears? Remember how he used to show you the crude band logo he scrawled on his notebook and boast that he'd be in a band some day? Remember how you tried to befriend him 'cause even though he was real shy, he was really kind of cool, and so you went to his house after school one day -- he played his Black Sabbath records and showed you how he picked out "Cum On Feel the Noize" on his black Fender Squire? Yeah? Well, he's just released his fifth major-label album, Hand It Over, and guess what: ol' J. hasn't changed a bit! Actually, I've been keeping in touch with J. ever since his 1991 album Green Mind. That was some fine stuff. See, J. learned to play the drums too, and I think that had a lot to do with why he was so great. He would make those drums work with the guitar like nobody's business, man. They could push and pull against each other like a couple of giant lumbering triceratops, or soar off into space on their combined energy like a pterodactyl. He's still doing that these days, but it's just no good anymore. After five years, it's like having leftovers again and again, and me and J. are both tired of it. He's been experimenting on the lazy-hazy tip lately, like Pavement or something, but it isn't working. Pavement should be the only ones allowed to do Pavement. J.'s still got his head way up his ass, too. Some of the new songs are called "I Don't Think," "Nothin's Goin On," "I'm Insane," and "I Know Yer Insane." Sounds just like ol' J., right? (Don't tell him I said this, but I really think it'd be good if he moved out of his parents' house already.) So, should you drop him a line? No, no, I don't think so. We've been out of high school for a while now, and you just don't have much in common with him anymore.

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