Pretty good review, don’t think I’ve seen it here b4 J’s hair isn’t grey, it’s frosty

Sno-Cone

J Mascis
– Free So Free
– Ultimatum
– 8.0 out of 10

Ok, so by now if you know me at KCOU, you know about my little man crush on J Mascis. Whether from writing a fanboy concert review for the last Snocone, the fact that I looked like him when I had long hair, or the fact that I’ve started dressing like him now with the short hair, his influence on me is quite apparent. If you are unfamiliar with the man, J Mascis is synonymous with Dinosaur Jr., which basically became his solo project after Lou Barlow exited the group in 1988. Mascis and Dinosaur are credited with returning lead guitar to the underground in the ‘80s, and up until their official demise in 1997, they were the band to see if you had any interest in getting your eardrums skullfucked by raging guitar solos and distorted guitar drive.

In 2000, Mascis emerged from a 3-year hiatus when he released More Light under the moniker of J Mascis + the Fog. He had much to prove with that album to critics and fans alike—that he could still rock, that he hadn’t aged too much, that he hadn’t wasted away into a sweatpants-wearing couch potato, etc. With support on the album from Kevin Shields and Bob Pollard and with a touring unit that sported Mike Watt on bass, More Light proved these things and much more. The only difference was that his hair had turned gray.

With the new album, Free So Free, Mascis really has nothing to prove, and perhaps this is why it is slightly less exciting than his debut with the Fog. With help from John Petkovic and Don Depew of Cobra Verde, the new album basically sounds like what you would expect it to sound like. There is a theme of sorts: being free or having freedom. I’m not really sure what to make of it, but this theme and the words “freeâ€