HUMAN TETRIS.
Sub Pop Records. It’s all but inconceivable that J Mascis requires an introduction. In the quarter-century since he founded Dinosaur (Jr.), Mascis has created some of the era’s signature songs, albums and styles. As a skier, golfer, songwriter, skateboarder, record producer and musician, J has few peers. The laconically-based roar of his guitar, drums and vocals have driven a long string of bands—Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr., Gobblehoof, Velvet Monkeys, the Fog, Witch, Sweet Apple—and he has guested on innumerable sessions. But Several Shades of Why is J’s first solo studio record, and it is an album of incredible beauty, performed with a delicacy not always associated with his work. Recorded at Amherst Massachusetts’ Bisquiteen Studios, Several Shades… is nearly all acoustic and was created with the help of a few friends. “Megan from Sub Pop has wanted me to do this record for a long time,” J says. “There are a couple of songs that are older, but the rest is new this year.
What a goddamn great album. Foggy Girls Club. Helpless Dancer. Humptyblog.
Youtube 17 11 2011. Youtube. Noonday Underground "Hitch Your Wagon To The Stars" Youtube. Matt Henshaw.