J Mascis + the Fog - Free So Free

Even though J Mascis was Dinosaur Jr. for all practical intents and purposes from Green Mind onward (other folks may have joined him on stage and in the studio, but he certainly called all the shots), retiring the name seems to have taken a bit of weight off his shoulders, and his work sounds a good bit more comfortable as a result. Free So Free, his second album under the rubric J Mascis + The Fog, is still built around the "Neil Young gone stoner rock" guitar textures and pot-fueled melodic structures he's been plying since 1985, but the almost funky rhythms of "Freedom," the understated boogie of "Bobbin," and slightly jazzy undertow of the title cut suggest Mascis is learning to play looser and lighter these days, and the results appear to suit him. Read More