den Buck’s translation:14 October 2002
Free so Free
J Mascis + The Fog * City Slang
By Paul

One doesn’t ever expect anything drastically new from guitar-veteran J. Mascis (formerly known as Dinosaur Jr.). He will forever be playing grungy, melancholy guitar-songs, usually singing with his slack raspy voice, or using his falsetto voice and intense guitar-solo’s. His newest album, on which Mascis is accompanied again by his non-existing band the Fog, offer more of the same, and sounds exactly like his last album from two years ago, More Light.

Both uplifting and melancholy It isn’t a very impressing album, but it is a beautiful one. The music is quite ‘light’ for Mascis’ standards, without losing it’s impact. There are only ten songs on it, and although some of them sound a little uninspired (‘Bobbin’ <img> , ‘Tell the Truth’ <img> ) and ‘Say the Word’ is nothing more than a pretext for a blinding guitar-solo, they are all melodic, sometimes melancholic, fine guitar-songs. Opener ‘Freedom’ and songs like ‘Outside’ and ‘Everybody lets me down’ are compact, energetic and nearly happy, while there is a stronger sense of melancholy in acoustic songs like ‘If that’s how it’s gotta be’, ‘Someone said’ and the very beautiful, very inspired ‘Set us free’.

You probably have to like Mascis’ characteristic voice to really enjoy this album, and it certainly isn’t one of his best albums. But ‘Free so Free’ is a very enjoyable, uplifting record, and a worthy addition to the ever-expanding discography of one of the biggest heroes in the history of guitar-music.