J Mascis is one of those rare musicians who basically nailed his “sound” on the first recording and has been refining it ever since. That’s not to say he’s been rehashing the same ideas for 25+ years, but rather that there’s just something innately satisfying about his apathetic drawl and precise guitar work that has simply not gotten old. He could cover show tunes for the rest of his career and I would undoubtedly love it.
Example: Here’s a track from his upcoming acoustic solo album Several Shades Of Why (March 15) that sounds like classic Mascis, and yet it still has me incredibly excited for the release. Check out Sub Pop for a free download.
I’ll be interested to hear if he injects some of his trademark guitar solos into this folkier sound. There are some YouTube videos of him absolutely wailing on Dinosaur material acoustically.
As will I. I bought Martin & Me a few years ago hoping to hear the exact same thing but was somewhat disappointed when he only ripped it on “Drawerings”. Granted, it’s an epic acoustic solo, but I guess I was just hoping for a little more.
As for this one, I’m really liking the addition of backup singers. It seems Lou’s folkier leanings have indeed been rubbing off.