That the pair was able to coexist through several tour legs - seemingly without incident - came as no small shock to many. The fact that Mascis, Barlow, and Murph went on to record Beyond, the trio's first album together in 19 years, at Mascis' home studio in Amherst, Massachusetts could be interpreted by some as a minor miracle. Of course, speaking to Barlow now, you'd never suspect the rancor that once existed if you didn't know better. While out touring with his "classic" Sebadoh partners Eric Gaffney and Jason Loewenstein, Barlow spoke jovially about Dino's resurgence, the process that led to the new album, and the band's place in the indie rock canon.

The band openly balked at the idea of recording another album when the first reunion dates were announced, so finding out what caused the change of heart seemed a logical place to start. As it turns out, we can owe it to equal parts coercion and exasperation. "We couldn't just continue to play the old stuff," Barlow explains. "We'd probably start to really piss people off. Plus, after a while, we just got worn down by people asking, 'So, are you gonna make a new record?'" Enter Brian Schwartz, co-manager of the band. Mascis had some demos ready and Schwartz wasn't about to let the opportunity pass. "About a year ago, I got a call from our manager, who's pretty much been the catalyst behind this entire thing. He's been a great go-between for myself, J, and Murph and basically managed to manipulate all of us and make it all seem possible."

While certainly given to moments of bombast and filled with its share of trademark monolithic guitar solos, Beyond sees Dinosaur Jr. dialing back its aggression for the most part. The reasons for this become clear when Barlow details the tone of the recording sessions.

"We worked at an incredibly relaxed pace for this record, like two or three hours a day, with maybe one really long day tossed in every two or three weeks." Barlow certainly doesn't mince words about what fans can expect as a result of this. "This record is not to be compared in delivery or conception to anything like the old ones. Those, to me, are just classic rock records É I mean, I have no reason to be modest about it - it was J's deal and he did it really well. I think those first three albums are fucking awesome."

Considering the tales of power struggles between Mascis and Barlow over the band's direction in the past, it's shocking to hear Barlow speak so fondly of the end results and readily admit their source. It's an attitude shift that carries over to Beyond as well. "Because I'm not the primary songwriter, I'm taking a decidedly relaxed approach to how it's going to be received. I'm finding it much easier to just let this one go and let the world have its way with it one way or the other. Dinosaur Jr. is J's franchise, and I really like that. It takes a lot of pressure off me. Of course, I do really hope that people like it, that would be nice."

I get an equally laissez-faire response out of Barlow when I ask him to summarize the band's interrelationships. "J seems to genuinely like Murph. I genuinely like Murph and J. I'm never sure if J likes me. [Laughs] I don't know what J likes, really." I cannot, for the life of me, take this air of contentment at face value, so I push the issue a little further. Surely, I say, it must have bothered him to read Mascis state in interviews that he only signed on to this reunion for the money, whereas Barlow has stated numerous times that he welcomed the opportunity for some catharsis and to give his time with Dinosaur Jr. a happier ending. Once again though, Barlow seems at peace.

"Why would he say anything other than that? It wouldn't be right. If J said, 'I did this because I really wanted to heal some wounds,' I would run out of the room screaming [laughs]. I'd be wondering, 'Who is that guy? Get him out of here.' I don't want any hint of human compassion from that guy; it would freak me out. He's just being totally honest about it. The thing is, the money is totally the glue to this whole situation. I mean, if we were struggling in any way, this would not be happening. If J didn't have a 100-track studio in his attic where we could go to record, this album wouldn't have happened. He's true. That's absolutely right, it is for the money. You catch me on a certain day, and I'd tell you the same thing."

With the album now complete and the band only committed to tour dates through July as of the time of this writing, I can't help but ask if Barlow's happier ending is within reach. Barlow isn't sure and he's even less concerned. "I don't know when the end's gonna be. I know that no matter what happens now, the ending couldn't be worse than last time unless one of us murdered one of the others or stole somebody's wife. I'm not really investing a lot of concern in that. In so many other relationships in my life I crave communication, but when it comes to Dinosaur, let's all just shrug our shoulders and let it float."

Lou on reunions:

Seeing as he's currently involved in two high-profile reunions, I asked Barlow for his thoughts on some of his similarly reunified contemporaries vis-ˆ-vis the current generation's crop of young rock outfits. Just like the majority of our conversation, his answer surprised me. "I think the bands that are coming out now are a hundred times better than the Pixies or the Jesus and Mary Chain. I mean, Jesus and Mary Chain have one good record and the rest just suck ass. I mean, I can't even believe that people like them. Psychocandy is one of the most amazing albums ever recorded but nothing else of theirs sounds anything like that. Everything else sounds like a totally sanded-down, drugged version of that album."

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