Dinosaur Jr. — You’re Living All Over Me

For hipster kids in the late ‘80s —especially those who couldn’t relate to R.E.M. —Dinosaur Jr.’s indie noise rock was the shit, through today’s new indie youth are probably unaware of just how influential Dinosaur Jr. were. With Merge re-releasing the band’s first three discs, fans old and new can take a distortion soaked indie rock history lesson.

You’re Living All Over Me, the band’s second disc, influenced a whole generation of rockers, most notably Nirvana. Their marriage of Neil Young-inspired pop songs and Sonic Youth-like noise created an oddly creative adventure featuring both ear-damaging distortion and catchy, hummable melodies. Every track on You’re Living All Over Me is worth listening to, if not for J. Mascis’ hooky guitar riffs and Lou Barlow’s pounding bass, then for its cultural significance. Don’t be surprised to hear Kurt Cobain in Mascis’ voice, or to feel that Dinosaur Jr. are as familiar as a worn-in jacket —it’s this trio and this record that helped kickstart the grunge revolution.