J Mascis Several Shades of Why

J.Mascis isn't mainly known for his tender acoustics--Dinosaur Jr.'s softest song, "Poledo," was written by eventual-Sebadoh-leader Lou Barlow, and his stage setup of massive Marshall stacks usually limits the possibility of anything resembling quiet. But the long-haired axeslinger has dabbled in the unplugged sound before, offsetting the surprise of Several Shades of Why coming on the heels of two very loud Dinosaur Jr. reunion albums. This all acoustic record is Mascis' first truly solo jaunt since 1996's Martin + Me and doesn't even feature drums! How very anti-noise. The song titles are typical Mascis: "Not Enough, "Where Are You," "Make It Right," etc., but this time his lyrics are actually discernible instead of buried in the mix. 

Abstract by Jeremy Gordon