J Mascis
Several Shades Of Why
Sub Pop
It’s bizarre to think that J Mascis has released his first ever solo album this month but the Dinosaur Jr front man has returned with a wonderful record where for once he has traded the Marshall amps he is so famous for playing through for an acoustic guitar, a tambourine and a few select guests.
‘Several Shades Of Why‘ sees J at his very best singing classic, Mascis folk tunes and lazy, West Coast songs alongside guest appearances from Kurt Vile, Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene, Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses and many others.
On first listen I kind of just dismissed this as another Mascis record as Dinosaur Jr albums of late have not exactly lived up to the likes of Bug and Green Mind, but after spending some time with this the full 10 tracks make for a very impressive (nearly all) acoustic album that follows J’s electric contributions to the latest Dead Confederate and Sweet Apple albums with a mature but magical presence.
The best way of introducing this to you is by watching Sub Pop labelmate Chad VanGaalen‘s amazing video for the track Not Enough as it will definitely take you on a journey that should lead you to discovering a cracking summer chiller.
Emilio Gonzales