LOU BARLOW, DINOSAUR JR.
SPACE ROCK
Dinosaur Jr.’sLou Barlowon life down below
Interview: Gregory Adams
As part of one of the most legendarily eardrumobliterating bands of all time, Dinosaur Jr. co-founder Lou Barlow naturally courses plenty of powerful-yet-poppy, gain-cranked bass-lines throughout Sweep It Into Space, the Massachusetts-based trio’s 12th album overall, and fifth since reforming their classic line-up in 2005. Live, he’s happily decimating crowds with multiple stacks. It’s trickier in the studio, however, with the bassist admitting he’s still seeking an idyllic boom to best complement—or perhaps compete with— the screaming leads of guitarist J Mascis.
“To be perfectly honest, it’s hard to get a recorded sound with Dinosaur Jr. that I feel is there,” he reveals. “Because of the nature of the way the records are mixed, the bass really gets pushed back in the mix. I have a fighting chance live—I’ve got my wall of amps, and J’s got his—but once it comes to recording, and once the overdubs start, it’s hard to get the bass to sit in the right place. Every time we make a record I start from scratch, hopefully finding some magic combination that approximates the growl of what we get live. I don’t know if I’ve done that yet.”