

Green Mind wasn’t just Dinosaur Jr.’s major-label debut; for band mastermind J Mascis, it was a clean-slate reboot following the acrimonious departure of bassist/foil Lou Barlow. Playing most of the instruments himself, the indie-rock guitar god indulged his studio-auteur fantasies: “Flying Cloud” is a glistening, Zeppelin-esque acoustic serenade punctuated by kick-drum booms, while “Thumb” is an arm-swaying psychedelic ballad awash in a mellotron mist. But “The Wagon” proved Mascis could still deliver distorto-pop anthems at the kick of a fuzz pedal.