Album Preview
J Mascis: Several Shades of Why
J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. fame has a new solo album, Several Shades of Why, coming out this month. The acclaimed indie-rock guitarist offers a nice change of pace with an acoustic album, featuring guest spots from Kurt Vile, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, and Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses.
By Henry Rollins • • 1 min readJ. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. fame has a new solo album, Several Shades of Why, coming out this month. The acclaimed indie-rock guitarist offers a nice change of pace with an acoustic album, featuring guest spots from Kurt Vile, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, and Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses.
Henry Rollins takes us through the years with J Mascis' and shares a few thoughts on Mascis, songwriting, and seven nights of Dinosaur Jr shows.
You're Living All Over Me, released in 1987 when college radio and other outlets picked up on the album track "Little Fury Things.". In 1988, the band released an album called Bug that featured a song called "Freak Scene." This song was inescapable in venues and college radio. It was this album that lead many people back to the previous one and then back to their first, self-titled debut from 1985.
Bug, Dinosaur Jr. signed to Sire and over the next several years, released one great album after another, starting with Green Mind and ending with Hand It Over.
More Light and Free So Free. These albums contain some of J's best songs. Absolutely great work.
BeyondandFarm, and two very successful and exhaustive world tours to support them, J has just finished another solo album, Several Shades of Why. When so many others with multiple releases behind them have resorted to merely stringing riffs together, making records that are a chore to get through, J is still doing the hard work of writing real songs. Several Shades of Why is a beautiful piece of work. J remains emotionally brave enough to put down lyrics that lay it all out there and musically he's still getting down the road, not sitting still.
Bug album in its entirety. I can't wait. I am very happy about the new J record. I have listened to it a few times now and am astonished at how he keeps finding it. Songwriters like J are at this point, exceedingly rare.
Henry Rollins, KCRW Music Host
Several Shades of Whywill be available to stream on demand from March 9 through April 8, 20011. The album will be released on March 15, 2011.
Track listing
1. Listen To Me
2. Several Shades of Why
3. Not Enough
4. Very Nervous and Love
5. Is It Done
6. Make It Right
7. Where Are You
8. Too Deep
9. Can I
10. What Happened