Beyond
by Dinosaur Jr.
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. AllMusic
    90
    Beyond isn't merely a worthy album from a reunited band, it's simply a great record by any standard.
  2. Amazon.com
    80
    These 50 minutes of music are as cohesive as they are conquering.
  3. Austin Chronicle
    67
    Apparently evolution is overrated.
  5. BBC collective
    70
    Coming in 2007 it sounds oddly fresh, but nothing here’s as full-on as their early stuff or as lovely as Feel The Pain.
  6. Blender
    70
    The elliptical vein opening, restless country twang and surging metal riffage have never sounded more confident. [Jun 2007, p.107]
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  7. Boston Globe
    80
    Amazingly, "Beyond" picks up where 1988's "Bug" left off, with only slightly more streamlined polish but with the old love of volume and excess still sweetly intact.
  8. Delusions of Adequacy
    90
    As usual, Mascis' guitar--a stirring strength, charming and expressive, a poignant power, is the star of this show--and as a whole unit, they haven’t sounded this good in about sixteen years.
  9. Drowned In Sound
    80
    Essentially the real joy is to hear the three original members locking in so tightly together.
  10. Dusted Magazine
    70
    The spiraling, distortion-drenched guitar solos, the cracked and ruined moan of Mascis, the passive-aggressive romanticism, the relentless beat, the pedals, the sheer turbulent volume...it's just like Where You Been? all over again, with all the positives and negatives that the comparison implies.
  11. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Though too long at 50 minutes, Beyond is an often thrilling reminder of this essential band's heyday.
  12. Filter
    84
    Their most triumphant mix of fuzzed-out fury, face-melting fretwork and merry-but-messy melodies.
  13. Hot Press
    80
    What’s most remarkable about the record is its incredible level of musical cohesion – it’s like the trio never stopped playing together.
  14. Mojo
    80
    Beyond is the better-produced natural successor to 1987's epochal You're Living All Over Me. [May 2007, p.104]
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  15. musicOMH.com
    80
    Mascis' ear-bleeding guitar soloing is ever prevalent, but there's a dynamism in the music here that was missing in previous efforts.
  16. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    This is an album that sits well alongside classics such as 1987's 'You're Living All Over Me'. In other words: a genuine monster.
  17. No Ripcord
    90
    It kicks ass.
  18. NOW Magazine
    90
    That the music of Beyond rocks so righteously in a way that sounds like a conscious progression from where they left off with Bug, rather than a misguided attempt to recreate the past, makes this unlikely recording comeback all the more incredible.
  19. Observer Music Monthly
    70
    It sounds exactly like a Dinosaur Jr album should.
  20. Pitchfork
    84
    Beyond, the band's first record as the selfsame trio since 1988's Bug, benefits enormously-- more so even than fellow MA-veterans Mission of Burma or latter-day Sonic Youth-- from the years, experiences, successes, and disappointments elapsed between then and now.
  21. Playlouder
    70
    Rabid Dinosaur Jr fans will find plenty here to enjoy.
  22. PopMatters
    80
    It’s great to hear, on Beyond, that the group can capture that magic again.
  23. Prefix Magazine
    70
    Beyond's highlights not only stand comfortably with Dinosaur's legendary best, but they also sound like they could have been lost outtakes from the very same sessions.
  24. Q Magazine
    60
    The spark that made initial albums such as Bug so special is still missing. [May 2007, p.123]
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  25. Slant Magazine
    80
    It's in between the showboating, when Mascis demonstrates his folk and country-tinged melodies and subtle but elaborate leads that you realize what you're listening to is pretty fucking close to genius.
  26. Spin
    70
    Even the production on Beyond sounds plucked from the trio's Bug heyday. [May 2007, p.85]
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  27. Sputnikmusic
    70
    Beyond’s main flaws come in a lack of variety.
  28. Stylus Magazine
    83
    Despite Beyond’s tendency to feel like a career retrospective in spots, it contains plenty of songs that rival Mascis’s best work.
  29. The A.V. Club
    67
    There isn't a bad song on Beyond—though both of Barlow's contributions slow things down a bit—but it never reaches the transcendent, wailing energy of Mascis' best.
  30. The Guardian
    70
    There is something almost eerie about how exactly the Dinosaur Jr of 2007 sound like the Dinosaur Jr of 1988.
  31. Under The Radar
    70
    With a sound closer to the Sire output than their SST days, Mascis throws around his best set of songs since Where You Been. [#17, p.84]
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  32. Urb
    80
    Beyond doesn't break any new ground, but... it's as refreshing as anything you're likely to hear all year. [May 2007, p.93]
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Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best Album of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 45
  3. Negative: 3 out of 45
  1. DonJ
    May 6, 2007
    10
    This is the album that Dinosaur Jr fans have been waiting for. It's the closest thing to bliss on a piece of plastic as you're This is the album that Dinosaur Jr fans have been waiting for. It's the closest thing to bliss on a piece of plastic as you're going to get. J is the best guitar player you will ever hear in Indie Rock. Lou's bass playing has only improved in the 19 years since Bug's recording. The second song made me wonder if the album could ever reach the legendary strides of You're Living All Over Me. Then the third song started (Pick Me Up), and I was lost in a time when I had lived for bands like D.J., Sonic Youth, Pavement, to name a few. I was in heaven. By the time that the guitar solo ends at the end of the song, you find yourself asking: "Why woould I ever listen to anything else?" I am biased, since Dinosaur Jr has been my favorite band since I was 16 (I am now 32). I've always liked YLAOM the best of all their albums. (although Bug, Gren Mind, and Where You Been are worthy of mention). THis album may surpass even YLAOM though. It's balanced, and the sense of cohesion between the members (even Murph) is amazing. It's energetic despite J's typical slacker style of whining the words out (which I have always liked). This is definitely the best album I bouth this year, and may be the best thing in 16 years that I've bought. Yes More Light was a good rock album by J, but this trumps it in every manner. If you like guitar focused, post-punk with a folk influence thrown in for good measure - PICK THIS UP IMMEDIATELY!!!… Full Review »
  2. Liam
    Nov 22, 2008
    10
    Great, this is probably my favorite Dino jr. record and the only one that stands up to You're Living All Over Me.
  3. RachaelG.
    Nov 9, 2007
    10
    Amazing ! I picked up this cd from the library and fell in love, my dad actually saw them in concert ( jealous ) of course I hope they come Amazing ! I picked up this cd from the library and fell in love, my dad actually saw them in concert ( jealous ) of course I hope they come to Ohio, I saw on their page they have some shows coming up ! I first heard about them from another band.… Full Review »
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