I have traditionally been a sucker for J Mascis—his songs with Dinosaur Jr capitalize on my favorite aspects of rock music, overflowing with hooks, distortion and blistering guitar solos. After two surprisingly excellent albums with the original Dinosaur Jr line-up, Mascis' first studio album under his own name asks listeners to take out their earplugs for a scaled-back, primarily acoustic effort.
J Mascis' songwriting remains distinctively his own on Several Shades of Why, his first solo album recorded in a proper studio. On Martin + Me and Live at CBGB's, Mascis played it rather safe, revisiting Dinosaur Jr material in a solo acoustic setting and throwing in additional cover songs; here, Mascis turns in a set of ten brand new, original songs. He also forgoes Dinosaur Jr band mates Lou Barlow and Murph for a rotating cast of collaborators, among them Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mt. Zion/Godspeed You! Black Emperor), Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession), Matt Valentine, and Kurt Vile (whose excellent new album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, I also covered this week).
On first listen, Mascis' knack for writing immediately classic-sounding hooks is intact—this album is enjoyable, at least initially, because Mascis knows how to turn out a pleasant, familiar-sounding tune. As with any musician with a recognizable style, though, Mascis struggles walking a fine line: finding a new spin on his formula versus retreading his old habits. On Several Shades of Why, Mascis leans toward the latter, not diverging noticeably from his songwriting methods; rather, he scales back the instrumentation—dull, acoustic arrangements with dragging tempos and less memorable hooks than his recent Dinosaur Jr material. As a result, Several Shades of Why is a chore to listen to while it's playing and a forgettable listen once it's over.
I get the impression that had Mascis not switched off his effects pedals and cranked down the volume, these might as well be Dinosaur Jr songs. Unfortunately, there's no fuzzy distortion for the tunes to hide behind, and Mascis' guitar solos are spread thinly; when his guitar does strike on occasion (as on "Where Are You"), it feel less like a searing-hot cauldron of water than a familiar childhood blanket. Mascis is good at what he does, but he does not engage me in a stripped-down, acoustic setting that spotlights the predictability of his songwriting. Can we assemble Mascis' wall of Fender amps and crank up the distortion for another Dinosaur Jr album, please?
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