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Another review, exploring the skydiving theme
but not a bad one, apart from that:Good idea, Allison, to copy the reviews here in case they disappear from the original site. So here it is:
J Mascis & The Fog – Free So Free
J Mascis is back with his band The Fog on their third album Free So Free . The iconic, hairy frontman has developed a thing for the great outdoors and, as Cameron Officer finds, the results are purely exhilarating
"Freedom", "Set Us Free", "Free So Free". It seems ex-Dino Jr man J Mascis is exploring a certain theme here. Not so much about power to the people or unfurling the chains of modern day living, this is actually a concept album of sorts – about skydiving.It seems that Mascis has fallen head over heals (no pun intended) for the sport and various tracks on his new album with The Fog (his third solo outing following the lamented extinction of his old band) tip their skydiver helmets to the rush experienced when shooting through the sky at a hundred miles an hour.
As you might expect, Free So Free is a pretty optimistic, uplifting album overall. The first blast of driving drums and bass that introduces the album (on "Freedom") is one of the best openers I’ve heard in a long while. You’re right there with J at the plane door. As the chorus comes bursting up, you’ve launched yourself into the void, and the ride has only just begun.
"Bobbin’" is a mammoth rocker with some classic Mascis hooks and Neil Young-esque harmonies built in. As with most everything Mascis attempts, the volume knob is twisted round to 11. Again, the groany-voiced one uses skydiving as a metaphor for life – standing at the edge ready to jump into the unknown.
Likewise, tracks like "Tell The Truth" and "Set Us Free" rock along at terminal velocity. "Someone Said" is a beautiful introspective moment, with folksy guitar, flute (an instrument Mascis first employed to brilliant effect on what would be the final Dinosaur Jr album, Hand It Over) backed by a distorted orchestra of subtle feedback.
It seems that Mascis is perennially stuck in the heyday of the grunge era (an era he helped create) – never afraid to repeat verse/chorus/verse one or two steps beyond what other contemporary artists would consider "un-clever". He’s never too afraid to insert a huge guitar solo to underline his intentions. Passion is the key.
As a result, many Dinosaur Jr fans – this reviewer included – have felt nary a speed bump on the road between old and new. Almost 20 years on from the first Dinosaur Jr release, the uniquely recognisable vocals and storming sonically charged instrumentation (even in Mascis’ quieter moments, it seems) remains intact here. Free So Free shows the singer/songwriter to still be a tour de force in indie rock.
If you’re a Mascis fan, you’ll not be disappointed with Free So Free . Grab your parachute and jump.
Cameron Officer
You definitely won’t be disappointed, I’ve been lovin’ the drumming on this disc recently,noisy, lots of cymbals & snare :aliensmile: …J is one of my fav drummers
Thanks for pasting the article, been looking thru some old links from 2000…more than a few are dead
Missing some great articles, not all sites take them down, some archive them but as a just in case… 
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