Several Shades Of Why [CD]

Perhaps some of Mascis' followers upon hearing that the king of the feedback drenched solo was recording a primarily acoustic solo album, with nary a fellow dinosaur nor fog member in tow, raised a collective quizzical eyebrow at this somewhat surprising news. Me? Well I was actually really pleased because I've always felt that the sparser, more downbeat moments on the Dinosaur Jr releases were among the very best. Who can forget the great pairing of the jangly `We're Not Alone' and hypnotic `I Got Lost' from 2007's excellent comeback release `Beyond', or the cracked and fragile vocals on `Flying Cloud' from `Green Mind'. A whole album of such material would be absolutely dandy with me...

...and I'm happy to report a whole album of such material is just what J has delivered here. From the minute you clap eyes on the sweet yet slightly sad cover art you can't help but fill in the gaps and start imagining what the music on the actual disc will sound like - vocals a little worn and world weary balanced with a slither of romantically childlike hope backed up by finger picked acoustic guitar and some other subtly mournful instrumentation. Yeah, you got it! Just whatever you do don't forget exactly how great this man is at capturing those beautiful moments of understated melody, always keeping that core addictive simplicity to the fore, and layering those unconventional drawling vocals over the top that can't help but win you over with their unfussy, intimate charm.

The whole album is definitely of a piece and is certainly best listened to in one sitting - it is a perfect listen for a very specific mood. You won't be getting dressed in your best glad rags on a Friday evening to `Several Shades of Why' but if you feel a hunger for some gentle melancholy with that little tease of romantic hope then this will easily satisfy the craving. `Very Nervous & Love' and `Make It Right' are particularly downbeat and beautiful, the second of which reminding me a little of Robert Plant's cover of `Song to the Siren', all chilly atmospherics and lyrics full of unrequited yearning. The title track is a vocal standout and the guitar melody is perfectly backed by some well chosen violin.

There are some more light-hearted moments including `Not Enough', featuring Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses) on backing vocals, that has a country influence not a million miles away from the approach Will Oldham has taken on the last two Bonnie `Prince' Billy albums, and the classic Dinosaur Jr style verses of `Is It Done' that also sports a short electric solo that reinforces the more optimistic feel of the track. The last two songs are excellent and see the electric guitar come out of hibernation for a more extended period - `Can I' is all about the atmosphere and evokes a barren desert landscape with the music content to leisurely wander around these surroundings before fading, unresolved, into the horizon. `What Happened' in direct contrast builds and builds to a bit of an epiphany, as first fuzzy then otherworldly guitar licks join the fray, eventually smothering Mascis' faltering whine - it is a perfect way to close the album.

An impressively solid and endearing collection, don't be put off by the acoustic label - this release finds Mascis on top song writing form. `Several Shades of Why' - why not?

I approached this solo effort with some degree of concern. Mascis is best known for those overlong guitar solo's and not so much for a delicate voice - something that could be described as tortured at times. So a solo album of mainly acoustic material and much more emphasis on the voice was more than a little bit of a worry. However, like another venerable crooner Neil Young, Mascis has managed to pull this trick off reasonably well.

The guitars are strummed and plucked and sound light and airy with clear vocals and choruses. Occasionally a song will have a long outro and Mascis will be joined in the vocal department to provide some harmony and these are the tracks which seem to work the best. Is It Done is a good single and works lightly and melodically and hangs in the memory for some time after the final bars. Sometimes you are thinking of Sun Kil Moon when listening to this. Can I is a cross between Neil Young and Dinosaur Jr and works really well - its probably the only darker number that does work so well.

Mascis has produced an album here that is enjoyable, will get you nodding your head along and is suited to a nice summers day. It doesn't quite reach this listener on a deeper level than that. If you like Dinosaur Jr though you should be quite well pleased with this effort though.

Another masterpiece by the golden grey god of guitar heroes. Mascis shows his ability to write suberb songs without big noise this time. My pick is always Dinosaur Jr but this is a great album and I hope for more of the same.