{"title":"J Mascis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBest known as the remote frontman of the influential indie trio Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis was also an occasional producer and film composer. Born December 10, 1965 in Amherst, Massachusetts, he first emerged as a member of the hardcore unit Deep Wound, founding Dinosaur in 1984. Over the course of acclaimed LPs like 1987's You're Living All Over Me and 1988's Bug, the group emerged among the most highly regarded in alternative rock, with J Mascis' creaky Neil Young-like vocals and monolithic guitar leads becoming primary influences on the burgeoning grunge movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe group temporarily disbanded in 1989 to allow J Mascis to dismiss bassist Lou Barlow who went on to form Sebadoh. In this time period, J Mascis sat in on drums with a series of bands including Upsidedown Cross and GobbleHoof while also producing albums for other artists such as GobbleHoof's self-titled LP released in 1990.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJ Mascis re-formed Dinosaur Jr. in 1991 and later scored Allison Anders' independent film Gas Food Lodging a year later. He made a cameo appearance in the movie itself and continued collaborating with Anders on her feature Grace of My Heart. Alongside his work with Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis produced records for fIREHOSE (Mr. Machinery Operator) and Tad (In\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"tied-to-a-star","title":"Tied to a Star","description":"\u003cp\u003eJ Mascis' \u003ci\u003eTied to a Star \u003c\/i\u003eis the follow up to his acclaimed Sub Pop debut \u003ci\u003eSeveral Shades of Why\u003c\/i\u003e. The album, led by the songs \u003ci\u003eEvery Morning\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWide Awake\u003c\/i\u003e, was recorded and produced by Mascis and mixed by John Agnello at Bisquiteen in Amherst, MA. \u003ci\u003eTied to a Star\u003c\/i\u003e also features guest appearances from musicians Ken Maiuri (Young Heart Chorus), Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), Mark Mulcahy (Miracle Legion) and Chan Marshall (Cat Power).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sub Pop","offers":[{"title":"LP.","offer_id":50447653896523,"sku":"377924","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50447654846795,"sku":"377923","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50447656419659,"sku":"381505","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/1730411b-f172-4331-b047-f10e2d824062_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727080695"},{"product_id":"what-do-we-do-now-2","title":"What Do We Do Now","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat Do We Do Now\u003c\/em\u003e is the fifth solo studio LP recorded by \u003cstrong\u003eJ Mascis\u003c\/strong\u003e since 1996. This is obviously not a very aggressive release schedule, but when you figure in the live albums, guest spots, and records done with his various other bands (Dinosaur Jr., The Fog, Heavy Blanket, Witch, Sweet Apple, and so on), well, to paraphrase Lou Reed, “J's week beats your year.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat Do We Do Now\u003c\/em\u003e began to come together during the waning days of the Pandemic. Utilizing his own Bisquiteen Studio, J started working on writing a series of tunes on acoustic with a different dynamic than the stuff he creates for Dino. “When I'm writing for the band,” he says, “I'm always trying to think of doing things Lou and Murph would fit into. For myself, I'm thinking more about what I can do with just an acoustic guitar, even for the leads. Of course, this time, I added full drums and electric leads, although the rhythm parts are still all acoustic. Usually, I try to do the solo stuff more simply so I can play it by myself, but I really wanted to add the drums. Once that started, everything else just fell into place. So it ended up sounding a lot more like a band record. I dunno why I did that exactly, but it's just what happened.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwo guest musicians are playing this time out; Western Mass local Ken Mauri (of the B52s) plays piano on several tracks. Since J himself has some experience with keys, when asked why he needed a hired gun, he says, “Ken is great, and he plays all the keys. I tried playing some keyboards on the first Fog album, but I'm really only comfortable playing the white notes, so it's kind of limiting. [laughs] Nowadays, I could just turn the pitch on a mini Mellotron to play different sounds, but black keys just seem hard. For whatever reason, I just like banging on the white ones. Seems like it's harder to figure out how to stretch your fingers around the other ones.” Mauri has no such qualms and plays all the keys very damn well. He sounds especially great on “I Can't Find You,” where he is Jack Nitzsche to J's Neil Young, creating one of the album's loveliest tunes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe other guest musician, Matthew “Doc” Dunn, is also prominent on this track. Dunn's steel guitar manages to both widen and soften the musical edges of the music, giving it a full classicist profile. Dunn is an Ontario-based polymath who J met through Matt Valentine. After J played on Doc's great 2022 Sub Pop single, “Your Feel,” he figured it was time for payback. Both Dunn and Mauri add beautifully to the songs here, helping to transform them from acoustic sketches into full-blown post-core power ballads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat Do We Do Now\u003c\/em\u003e is the finest set of solo tunes J has yet penned, and the way they're presented is just about perfect. Asked if he would be touring to support the album, J says he'll be doing some weekend dates, but he probably won't be putting a band together. And I'm sure these songs will sound great solo and acoustic, but the arrangements on this album are truly great and put a cool, different spin on Mascis' instantly recognizable approach to making music. So, what do we do now? Not sure. But apparently, what J does is to make one of his most killer records ever. Hats off to him.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sub Pop","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50447925936459,"sku":"2166969","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Pink LP","offer_id":50447929704779,"sku":"2166971","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Purple","offer_id":53343707988299,"sku":"R1016-5141","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50447928754507,"sku":"2166970","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50447925444939,"sku":"2166968","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/JMascis_WhatDoWeDoNow_1500_9ff10552_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727084202"},{"product_id":"elastic-days","title":"Elastic Days","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince then, through the reformation of the original Dinosaur Jr lineup in 2005, J has recorded solo albums now and then. And those album, \u003ci\u003eSings and Chant for AMMA\u003c\/i\u003e (2005), \u003ci\u003eSeveral Shades of Why\u003c\/i\u003e (2011) and \u003ci\u003eTied to a Star\u003c\/i\u003e (2014) had all delivered incredible sets of songs presented with a minimum of bombast and a surfeit of cool. Like its predecessors, \u003ci\u003eElastic Days\u003c\/i\u003e was recorded at J’s own Bisquiteen studio. Mascis does almost all his own stunts, although Ken Miauri (who also appeared on \u003ci\u003eTied to a Star\u003c\/i\u003e) plays keyboards and there are a few guest vocal spots. These include old mates Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), and Mark Mulcahy (Miracle Legion, etc.), as well as the newly added voice of Zoë Randell (Luluc) among others. But the show is mostly J’s and J’s alone. For those expecting the hallucinatory overload of Dinosaur Jr’s live attack, the gentleness of the approach here will draw easy comparisons to Neil Young’s binary approach to working solo versus working with Crazy Horse. This is a lazy man’s shorthand, but it still rings true. Elastic Days brims with great moments. Epic hooks that snare you in surprisingly subtle ways, guitar textures that slide against each other like old lovers, and structures that range from a neo-power-ballad (\u003ci\u003eWeb So Dense\u003c\/i\u003e) to jazzily-canted West Coasty post-psych (\u003ci\u003eGive It Off\u003c\/i\u003e) to a track that subliminally recalls the keyboard approach of Scott Thurston-era Stooges (\u003ci\u003eDrop Me\u003c\/i\u003e). The album plays out with a combination of holism and variety that is certain to set many brains ablaze. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Black Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP+ - Limited Loser Coloured Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sub Pop","offers":[{"title":"LP.","offer_id":50448404644171,"sku":"1044378","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50448405070155,"sku":"1044376","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50448405725515,"sku":"1044377","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a15d77f7-a8da-4af0-a49e-bdf2bce6f583_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727091374"},{"product_id":"several-shades-of-why","title":"Several Shades Of Why","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the quarter century since he founded Dinosaur (Jr), J Mascis has created some of the era's signature songs, albums and styles. The laconically-based roar of his guitar, drums and vocals have driven a long string of bands - Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr, Gobblehoof, Velvet Monkeys, the Fog, Witch, Sweet Apple - and he has guested on innumerable sessions. But \u003ci\u003eSeveral Shades of Why\u003c\/i\u003e, recorded at Amherst, Massachusetts' Bisquiteen studios, is J's first solo studio record, and it is an album of incredible beauty, performed with a delicacy not always associated with his work. Nearly all acoustic, \u003ci\u003eSeveral Shades of Why\u003c\/i\u003e was created with the help of a few friends. notable amongst them are Kurt Vile, Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mount Zion), Kurt Fedora (long-time collusionist), Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), Matt Valentine (the Golden Road), and Suzanne Thorpe (Wounded Knees). Together in small mutable groupings, they conjure up classic sounds ranging from english-tinged folk to drifty, west coast-style singer \/ songwriterism. But every track, every note even, bears that distinct mascis watermark, both in the shape of the tunes and the glorious rasp of the vocals. Ten brilliant tunes that quietly grow and expand until they fill your brain with the purest pleasure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sub Pop","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50448494395723,"sku":"336020","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50448494788939,"sku":"336019","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3a2a984e-1778-436c-8ce5-fc11167fe1aa_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727092452"},{"product_id":"martin-and-me","title":"Martin and Me","description":"\u003cp\u003eHaving established Dinosaur Jr as a mainstay of, and influence over, the alternative scene by the mid-1990s, J Mascis began to venture out alone, performing acoustic sets of his band’s material.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMartin and Me\u003c\/i\u003e documents a late 1995 US tour, and includes Dinosaur Jr classics such as Repulsion, \u003ci\u003eGet Me\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKeeblin \u003c\/i\u003ealongside of covers of The Smiths’\u003ci\u003e The Boy With The Thorn In His Side\u003c\/i\u003e, Carly Simon’s\u003ci\u003e Anticipation\u003c\/i\u003e and Lynyrd Skynyrds\u003ci\u003e Every Mothers Son\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in 1996 and long out of print, this luxurious yellow vinyl edition is a long overdue opportunity to revisit another side of J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cherry Red","offers":[{"title":"Yellow | LP","offer_id":50452520370507,"sku":"1104059","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/90069480-60bb-424a-91fa-b54499c5127c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727154916"},{"product_id":"live-at-cbgb-s-1","title":"Live At CBGB’s","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in 2006, this recording of J Mascis’ debut solo acoustic performance has since become a cult classic and a fan favourite. Featuring understated presentations of Dinosaur Jr staples such as ‘What Else Is New’, ‘Get Me’ and ‘Repulsion’, and captured in front of an enthusiastic audience, this is a warts ‘n all, almost voyeuristic, experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLong out of print, and now issued on highly collectable red vinyl, this is a chance for the uninitiated and younger fans to discover a classic, and for familiar fans to revisit and own a fantastic presentation of an album which remains an essential part of J’s body of work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cherry Red","offers":[{"title":"LP - Transparent Red","offer_id":51758062764363,"sku":"R6346-0955","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Screenshot_2025-05-02_at_19.53.16.png?v=1746212019"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_2914ad89_thumbnail_4096_e7566899-41c1-4d26-9cf5-085ddac6274f.jpg?v=1727080649","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/j-mascis.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}