If you care at all about American rock music, there is something to get very excited about; alt-rock legends Dinosaur Jr. are making a pit stop here in DeKalb.

Best known for singer/songwriter/axemaster J. Mascis’s blistering, sloppily-virtuosic Jazzmaster leads and distinctive Neil Young-esque whine, the original line-up of Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph could only keep it together for three classic albums before internal tensions ripped them apart.

Reunited in 2006, Dinosaur has somehow managed to keep from killing each other for several tours and a couple of new albums — 2007’s fantastic “Beyond” and the upcoming “Farm.”

To give you an idea of the generation-defining anthems these guys were, and still are, capable of, here’s five of the original trio’s most timeless jams.

1. “Does It Float” – It was all there on their 1985 debut, “Dinosaur.” Particularly on this cut: the unsteady jangliness, Mascis’s strained whines and wails, the psychedelic passages and, of course, the shredding.

2. “The Lung” – There is about a collective minute of singing on this tune; the rest is an odyssey through Mascis’s fractured, guitar pedal and whammy bar-addled mind.

3. “Little Fury Things” – This duet with Sonic Youth’s Lee Renaldo is the first fully-formed glimpse into Dinosaur Jr.’s considerable pop sensibilities. The sweetness of the melodic vocal hooks and heartrending licks is balanced by a hearty dose of searing wah-wah noise.

4. “Freak Scene” – Every indie rock band needs an anthem about indie rock itself, or, more likely, their own totally-messed internal dynamic. This is THE definitive Dinosaur Jr. tune: frenetic yet steady percussion, fuzz bass to the max, unforgettably catchy lyrics and an incredible scorcher of a guitar solo that boldly expresses the fiery emotions that Mascis’s passive aggressive murmur cannot.

5. “Pick Me Up” – “Beyond” accomplished what was once thought impossible — that a band could reunite nearly twenty years after the fact and create an album as arresting and essential as their initial work. This stirring riff-heavy epic is probably the choicest example of their reinvigoration. Plus it totally owns live.

Dinosaur Jr. will be playing at Otto’s Niteclub, 118 E, Lincoln Highway, on Saturday, April 11. Tickets are $21 and can be purchased at www.ticketweb.com.