Cougar Microbes

Acoustic singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen these days. But how many can also claim to have headed one of the foremost bands of the American grunge movement?  The king of guitar noise, J Mascis, has traded in his fuzz pedal for finger picking on a new solo album, “Several Shades of Why,” released in March.

Where I grew up, in woodsy Western Massachusetts, J Mascis is something of a local legend. His iconic alternative rock band, Dinosaur Jr. formed at the area’s university, and played its first gigs on the Amherst Common (allegedly, a shout of “Fuck the cops!” got the plug pulled pretty fast). When I was too young to understand genre, I assumed he was a rock star, like Ringo. When I was old enough to appreciate excessive noise and distortion, I listened to some Dinosaur Jr., and tagged along to a reunion concert in Boston. Now the thing that impresses me most about J Mascis, apart from his virtuoso status as a guitarist, is his serious prowess as a songwriter. He was the primary songwriter for Dinosaur Jr. until the band’s separation, and for the many bands he has formed since then.

‘Several Shades of Why‘ showcases Mascis’s talents not just as a lyricist, but also as a crafter of simple, beautiful melodies. Simplicity is the trademark of the album; when recording the tracks in his home studio, Mascis made a deliberate decision to forego all percussion (aside from the occasional tambourine) in an effort to “push everything in a new direction.” It is certainly a far cry from the heavy, distorted ‘wall of sound’ that put Dinosaur Jr. on the map. Most of the songs require little more than an acoustic guitar and some backing vocalists (Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell, among others), although a small string section swells the title track.

The stand out tracks on ‘Several Shades of Why‘ are this title track, and the first single, ‘Not Enough’. Together they illustrate perfectly the range of the album as a whole—’Not Enough‘ is a folksy, fun, and upbeat jaunt, while ‘Several Shades of Why‘ is slow and thoughtful, with a single guitar line so heart-tuggingly sweet and simple, you can almost see tough and tattooed Dino fans the world around reaching for the tissues.  And although the album is not their usual fare, those who fell in love with Mascis during the Dinosaur Jr. days of wailing 10 minute long guitar solos can catch a glimpse in ‘Is It Done‘ a slow and melancholy track which develops into a howling solo, almost as if Mascis couldn’t resist sneaking in just one.

Mascis is currently touring the US and Europe in support of the album, and when he played solo at The Garage on April 14th, I wasn’t sure how many of his old fans would embrace this ‘new direction‘. But with a crowd of 550, just shy of capacity, it would seem that I had underestimated their loyalty. Mascis sat at the very front of the stage with one black and tan electro-acoustic and two pedals, mumbled inaudibly between songs, and played through a mix of new solo material, old Dinosaur Jr. tunes, and a few songs from the in-between period. While he played some songs entirely acoustic, Mascis frequently switched to a distorted, heavier sound for the choruses. When he did, it became clear that this was the guitarist the crowd knew and revered—they howled and cheered whenever he plugged in.

After seeing him twice with a full band, it was strange and exciting to watch this one quiet man, with his trademark long white hair and thick coke-bottle glasses, captivate a massive audience with almost no effort at all. Though I’d always thought of J Mascis as our local rock royalty, it was strikingly clear atThe Garage that being local has little to do with it, and his renown as the instrumental and creative talent of a generation will continue to pack venues.

In just a few short months, Mascis will hang up the acoustic in favour of his trusty Marshall rig, for a set of decidedly noisier, full band shows with the again reunited Dinosaur Jr. They’ll be playing their 1988 album ‘Bug‘ in its entirety for each show, and the tour culminates at Alexandra Palace on July 1st.

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Post by Emily
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A quick hunt for information on Scottish band The Son(s) makes it hard not to wonder if they are deliberately elusive–the only band bio to be found is the rather terse “The Sons were three. Two are gone. Now there is only one.” Happily this is one of those rare situations in which the music speaks volumes for itself.

The first single, ‘Radar‘, from their self-titled debut album, was released in January. It stands well as a representative of the album’s sound as a whole; a melodic journey in and out of slow acoustic burners and upbeat jams. Since I must rely on that crutch of all reviewers, and draw comparisons, the vocals are a pleasing combination of Grizzly Bear and Iron & Wine, supported with finger-picking that would make Paul McCartney sigh and hang up ‘Blackbird’ forever.

My first listen of ‘Radar‘ instantly brought to mind Rubyhorse (anyone remember them?); their 2003 album had a hidden gem called ‘Never Grow Old‘ that captures the same light, layered vocals. But where Rubyhorse tended to overproduce the album and lean a little heavily on the reverb, The Son(s) seem to have that rare ability to produce the beautiful, simple song that doesn’t need much help from the studio.

‘Dogs, Boys & Men‘ is the band’s second single, and is probably the stand-out track on the album. At first listen it seems a little incongruous, with a foreign sounding, almost mexican flavour that doesn’t match the rest of the album. But a tendency to stand out is not exactly a bad thing for a single–it is certainly more powerful, and more energetic, than the milder acoustic tracks that make up the album’s core.

The track itself is an effective mix of lighter, acoustic verses with heavier, more jammy choruses. It is probably the injection of percussion that makes the chorus so bold and fresh in comparison, but the addition of a heavy, blazing electric guitar certainly adds some power as well. More than anything else, I think the song showcases The Son(s) ability to layer vocal tracks, while avoiding that gooey pop production quality that layered vocals can often create.

For this band, the key seems to be a varied and imperfect approach to the layers– the vocals don’t sound perfectly matched or very rehearsed, and this works perfectly for the rough, raw energy of the song.

Whilst the origins of The Son(s) remains a bit of a mystery the music is coming through loud and clear.

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This is the first post by new Cougar scribe by Emily

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