The coolest thing about Amherst, MA's Dinosaur Jr. is that they really could care less about what the mainstream does when it comes to the music that is being brought to the masses along with still having no idea about how huge of an influence they have been on anyone who grew their hair out, wore a flannel shirt and picked up a guitar in the past 25 years. They are also an amazing rock & roll band as well and it shows with I Bet On Sky, the band's tenth album overall and their third  since guitarist and vocalist J Mascis, bassist and occasional vocalist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph reunited in 2007 after the original three members disbanded back in the late 1980s. Thank God that happened, because I'd hate to see what music would be like today if Dinosaur Jr. weren't still around kicking ass and taking names wherever they go.

The new album is spectacular to say the least. A great mix of Black Sabbath-esque riffs, Murph's rhythmic drumming abilities that even today I consider vastly underrated, Barlow's mellow, trembling voice on a couple tracks and Mascis' twanging drawl along with his epic trademark solos concoct the infectious sound that Dinosaur Jr. has come to be loved and adored by for decades. It seems like the heavy metal gods, punk rejects and bluegrass good ol' boys decided to have a jam session for the ages and this is what came out of it. Sometimes music is so damn good that it makes you speechless, put into a euphoric state and it's nearly impossible to describe. I Bet On Sky's audial excellence definitely does that to me, with every chord, beat and track just leaving me awestruck and asking for more.

That being said, I kind of feel like Sisyphus and the immensely large boulder is I Bet On Sky. No matter what I do or say I feel like whatever songs I pick from it will never do justice to the sheer perfection that Dinosaur Jr.'s new album entails, much like the boulder always rolling back down the hill no matter how hard Sisyphus tries to push it over. Since I really have no choice in the matter though, here goes something: "Piece The Morning Rain" is a mosh pit anthem with the short, sweet and heavy chords coming from Mascis and Barlow's bass being the backbone of the track. "Recognition" has Barlow on the mic singing all about the need to be appreciated for what you do with Mascis' guitar and Murph's drumming hitting you like a punch in the face with downbeat after downbeat. "Don't Pretend You Didn't Know" is downright funky, describing how playing dumb about something you have full knowledge of isn't really the best way to go. "Watch The Corners" has a straight up sludge-metal tinge to it, if you're fan of The Melvins, Baroness or even Type O Negative this track is definitely one you can get hooked on. I Bet On Sky is in my #1 pick right now for the best album of 2012, don't believe me? How dare you! get yourself a copy of the album and try to prove me wrong.

Dinosaur Jr. will be embarking on a 32-date tour of The United States and Asia starting tomorrow night on October 1st at The Mercy Lounge in Nashville and concluding the expedition at Terminal 5 in New York City two months later on December 1st. For us New England live music fanatics, Dinosaur Jr. will be playing at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston on November 30th. A great homecoming show that anyone who loves rock & roll and has a soul should go to. For fans in Hong Kong, Dinosaur Jr. will be playing The Music Zone at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre on Halloween. Japanese fans have two chances to check out Dinosaur Jr., either at Big Cat in Osaka on November 2nd or the following night at Hostess Club Weekender in Tokyo. Until Dinosaur Jr. comes to your neighborhood, grab a copy of I Bet On Sky. It'll give your earbuds an orgasm they'll never come down from.

Through helping to start the groundbreaking artist & music performance space Fort Thunder in the Olneyville section of Providence from the mid 1990s until the early 2000s, touring constantly, making every record they've done in a pure DIY format and promising to put on one of the most insane live performances you've ever seen, noise band Lightning Bolt has made quite the case for being the most important band in the Providence music scene for the past 15 years. A mind-blowing sound that combines Brian Gibson's crazily distorted bass and numerous pedals along with Brian Chippendale's seismic displays on the drums and screaming into a microphone thats attached to a homemade pro wrestling mask, Lightning Bolt will definitely shock you with their amazing sound that's nearly impossible to compare anything to. They have their sixth studio album out, Oblivion Hunter, and it's definitely one of the best albums I've listened to so far this year.

Loud, intense, raucous, no holds barred is the best way I can describe how Lightning Bolt's music sounds like. A crazy combination of the avant-garde nothingness of No Wave bands like Mars, DNA and James Chance & The Contortions, punk rhythms of bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat and Discharge and the free jazz tinges influenced by artists like Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman form together in a mashed up slush of chaos and pandemonium to create what is Lightning Bolt. The new record is the result of a bunch of recording sessions Chippendale and Gibson did back in 2008 and it shows a band progressing more and more, almost at an infinite pace. Horns, bleeps and other assorted effects mix in with the feverish drums, loudspeaker-esque voice of Chippendale and the raw shredding of Gibson's bass to spawn the sound that makes the duo so legendary across the world.

Now here comes the hard part, that time again where I pick my favorite tracks off of the record. It's always a difficult task to say the least but at the same time the music lover in me feels like I'm in a golden palace of wonder. If Oblivion Hunter is a golden palace though, it's always tough when you have to pick your favorite gems when every gem is as beautiful as the next. Well, you know where I'm getting at: "Oblivion Balloon" has Gibson's bass hitting your ear buds like a wrecking ball destroying a brick building with Chippendale's spine-tingling drum skills guaranteeing to make your head spin in classic fashion. "Fly Fucker Fly" shows the spectacular syncopation Gibson and Chippendale have while performing together, it's pure audial gold when Gibson kicks it up a notch with his bass and makes it sound like he's playing electric guitar along with it when he's not. "King Candy" is ultra-sludgy and pulsating, with Gibson's bass getting heavier and heavier and Chippendale's drumming getting faster and faster. "Baron Wasteland" uses a lot of effects and Chippendale just shrieking into his mic while he's hammering the drums and Gibson using numerous pedals to go along with his bass, a great clash of loud and quiet. As I always say, don't just be lame and take my word as gospel without doing something about it. Get yourself a copy of Oblivion Hunter if you know what's good for you.

Lightning Bolt just finished up a 34-date tour of the United States in support of Oblivion Hunter that started at The Rock 'N Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. on August 21st and ended last night at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Fanatics in Providence got a chance to see Lightning Bolt at the Providence Underground Freak Fest Eco Rave Shaman Slam 2 (Also known as PUFFERS) this past Saturday in the old factory district of Olneyville where they played in the middle of the street in front of over 1,000 people. Even though they play shows sporadically nowadays and the best way to find out when Lightning Bolt is playing next is through word of mouth, the live experience of seeing Lightning Bolt live is absolutely worth the wait. Until Lightning Bolt graces your favorite venue, pick up a copy of Oblivion Hunter. It'll take your eardrums places where they've never been before.

It's always tough for a band to follow up what can be considered their breakthrough album with another one when the expectations are at their highest. The same could be said for Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear, they had their third record, Veckatimest, reach #1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and scored the #8 spot on the Billboard Top 200 back in 2010. With success like that, it's a difficult task for anyone to take on when it comes to doing better than your best. Shields definitely makes a bid to show Grizzly Bear's progression from their previous record, branching out into more different styles of playing and making a very unique piece of music because of that.

In case you're degenerate enough to think I'm writing about the animal who can tear your head off with one swipe rather than an actual band, Grizzly Bear consists of Edward Droste on vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Daniel Rossen alternating on vocals, guitar, banjo and keyboard, Chris Taylor on backing vocals and bass and Christopher Bear on drums and glockenspiel. As with most Grizzly Bear albums, Droste and Rossen wrote the songs together. For the first time though, they gravitated toward using songs for the album that were most open to true quartet collaboration. Using this method, Grizzly Bear has became a true 4-piece band incorporating everyone's ideas into every song. It definitely pays off, with countless bountiful dimensions surrounding Shields with each track.

It's that time again, but you already know what I'm going to write about. I gotta pick a few tracks that I love off of Shields, do I really have a choice? of course not. Here goes something: "Sleeping Ute" is a great track that has jangling distorted guitars mixed with beautifully acoustic ones about losing the one you love but you can't help yourself so you let them go. "Speak In Rounds" starts off with synthy keys, a steady bass and a rhythmic acoustic guitar all about how the fear of loneliness can alienate you from everything while at the same time wanting to jump back into it all. The tempo to "A Simple Answer" is so smooth and groovy that it sounds like something you can shuffle your feet to, a catchy drumbeat and Droste's awesomely poetic lyrics really make for the backbone of the song. "Sun In Your Eyes" is an anthem for redemption that makes me think if Pink Floyd and Joy Division hooked up and had a musical lovechild, it would be this song. As I always say, don't be an idiot and just take my word as gospel without actually exploring your musical taste. Get a copy of Shields and listen in for yourself.

Grizzly Bear are embarking on a World Tour that started at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville on September 16th and will be ending at The Bruce Mason Centre in Auckland, New Zealand on November 21st. For us New England music fanatics, Grizzly Bear will be gracing The Orpheum in Boston with their amazing music on September 22nd, definitely a show that no Bostonian should miss. They'll also be playing the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City a couple days later on September 24th which should be their best homecoming show yet. Until then in-tuned readers and loyal listeners, you gotta grab a copy of Grizzly Bear's fourth album, Shields. It's spectacular and a thing of pure beauty for your ears to behold.

In my opinion, former Husker Du and Sugar frontman and guitarist Bob Mould never gets the credit he wholeheartedly deserves. Basking in the shadows of 80's Alt-Rock legends like The Pixies' Black Francis, Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, The Replacements' Paul Westerberg, Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Mould is often overlooked when it comes to recognition for his massive influence on music over the past 20 years. With Silver Age, his 9th solo album, the electrifying riffs and boisterous sounds that encompass the record should do him justice, especially with this blog.

With Superchunk drummer John Wurster and former Verbow bassist Jason Narducy accompanying Mould on ten amazingly emphatic tracks, if your mind isn't blown after the first track there is something seriously wrong with you. Rocking your soul with reckless abandon, it reinvigorates the no holds barred, devil may care style that made Mould a revolutionary musician back in the 80s and early 90s with Husker Du and Sugar. If thought those glory days were over, you better give this album a listen and change your mind fast. My only warning is that your brain will melt from the sheer resonant tunes that exude from Silver Age, but don't worry it isn't painless. In fact, it's the complete opposite.

This is the part when it's a labor of love, I get to feel like a ritalin-filled 4 year old in a penny candy store and maybe if you're freaky you might get sexually aroused. It's that time when I do the impossible, pick and choose a few tracks that I absolutely love off of Silver Age. Well, here goes something: "Star Machine" has Mould singin' and strummin' about past regrets and calling out forgotten mistakes, badass riffs and Mould's signature monotone voice with feel invade the track. "Silver Age" just flat out rocks, all about how society has lost it's luster and relegated itself to sheer mediocrity. "Briefest Moment" examines every young kid's dream, leaving the dragging life of the same old shit, different day in an effort to explore the world and finding yourself. "Steam of Hercules" makes you feel like you just finished climbing Mount Everest with Mould sounding like a golden god on the mic while strumming a triumphant guitar. Don't be a dunce and just take my word as gospel, grab a copy of Silver Age and listen in for yourself.

Bob Mould is in the middle of a tour of Europe and the United States that started at the Liss Ard Festival in Cork, Ireland on August 4th and will be concluding at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX on November 2nd. For us New England live music fanatics, Mould will be rocking The Paradise Rock Club in Boston tonight so if you got nothing to do and you're not in Providence for 990WBOB's Mondays on Blast at The Apartment on 373 Richmond Street, you better head over there to see some awesome music. For any fans in The Windy City of Chicago, Mould will be playing back to back nights at Metro on September 13th & 14th as well. Until then, pick up a copy of Silver Age, it'll put you in a state of euphoria.