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J MASCIS & THE FOG
Free So Free
(Ultimatum)
Mascis’ latest romp with post Dinosaur Jr. band, The Fog, hardly unfastens the formulaic belt, let alone justifies the slavish association with routine. Ambling out of the blocks with the fuzz fuelled rocker, Freedom, the contrast between Mascis’ sprightly guitar noodling and half asleep warbling is an early highlight on the album; the song’s chorus packs enough hook to keep Jaws at bay and the arrangements are dense enough to weather the grind of any high rotation list. The territory, however, becomes well trodden from thereon. Like a wolf perching at the edge of a cliff and howling at the same old moon, Mascis lapses at length into the solos from his other albums, the vintage grooves on a stampeded fret board a poignant affirmation that the notes just don’t ring the same any more. Still the Stonesy riffing rumbling beneath the deadpan melody of Bobbin, paired with the heartfelt harmonic rush of Someone Said, are a consolation, but Mascis’ impotence is too pervasive to keep the album anchored. With freedom reportedly the album’s underlying theme, Mascis’ incapacity to cut loose is all the more remarkable.
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