To say J Mascis has been around the block once or twice would be a severe understatement. Though he's best known as the soft-spoken frontman of Dinosaur Jr., he's also contributed to a plethora of other acts since the mid 80s, including the Fog and Witch. Certainly Mascis is something of a musical renaissance man, but what seems like the most obvious of side projects, a solo one, had been absent from his catalog until the recent release of his latest album, Several Shades of Why.
Though this album shouldn't throw anybody off too much, it does offer two things that much of Mascis' prior output has been lacking. The first (and most obvious) is its acoustic nature. Mascis might be one of the few guitar heroes to emerge in the last 30 years, but here he mostly ditches his virtuoso tendencies for hearty strumming and graceful fingerpicking.
The second difference is the overall level of emotion, which may be at an all-time high for Mascis. In fact, it doesn't take more than a glance at a few of the track titles ("What Happened," "Make It Right," "Not Enough") to realize that Several Shades is somewhat confessional in nature. But while Mascis does do a good deal of venting, most of the lyrics are vague and sometimes ambiguous, suggesting that he's not quite ready to come all the way out of his shell.
A few of his musical cohorts help out, too, including Kurt Vile, Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell, and Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew. But even with the collaborations and other sonic tweaks, Several Shades is unmistakably Mascis. His Neil Young-like voice is as exposed as ever, and he does indulge in a few electrified solos along the way. Ultimately, this album should please both longtime fans and newcomers alike, and is certainly one of the best Mascis-affiliated releases of late.
SIMILAR SONGS
