J. Mascis:
Tied To A Star:
Sub Pop:
CD/LP/DD:
Out Now:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Dinosaur Jr's most recent album, 2012's I Bet On Sky, continued the band's ceaseless journey into unexplored sonic galaxies, earning them more plaudits than ever and, more importantly, a heap of sold-out shows. Frontman J. Mascis now sees fit to issue his second solo collection, hot on the heels of Several Shades Of Why and packed full of the usual thoughtful, downbeat acoustic-rock we've come to expect.
Opener Me Again begins like a Mark Kozelek composition before that trademark troubled drawl takes hold in typical fragile style, while the perkier single Every Morning revisits his own band's '90s output from say Without A Sound. Stumble continues the rockier theme with a fuzzy distorted take on melancholia, Drifter is a somewhat Southern bluesiana version of the Mascis template rarely heard before and, before you know it, Come Down has brought you full circle with its stoned-out buzz and intricate guitar-work.
When Mascis isn't being tempted by effects pedals, he's keeping it simple with primarily acoustic strum-a-longs such as the very pretty and concluding Better Plane and cyclical Wide Awake, both of which are noticeable enough to incite jealousy in his more 'modern' peers. And while some of the subject-matter might be wistful, yearning and sad-face on occasion, Tied To A Star is the voice of experience rather than the naivety exuded by some younger pups on the current scene. Another galaxy ticked off the list, for sure.
Tied To A Star:
Sub Pop:
CD/LP/DD:
Out Now:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Opener Me Again begins like a Mark Kozelek composition before that trademark troubled drawl takes hold in typical fragile style, while the perkier single Every Morning revisits his own band's '90s output from say Without A Sound. Stumble continues the rockier theme with a fuzzy distorted take on melancholia, Drifter is a somewhat Southern bluesiana version of the Mascis template rarely heard before and, before you know it, Come Down has brought you full circle with its stoned-out buzz and intricate guitar-work.
When Mascis isn't being tempted by effects pedals, he's keeping it simple with primarily acoustic strum-a-longs such as the very pretty and concluding Better Plane and cyclical Wide Awake, both of which are noticeable enough to incite jealousy in his more 'modern' peers. And while some of the subject-matter might be wistful, yearning and sad-face on occasion, Tied To A Star is the voice of experience rather than the naivety exuded by some younger pups on the current scene. Another galaxy ticked off the list, for sure.