Description
Near the end of Reagans first term, the Western Massachusetts Hardcore scene coughed up an insanely shaped chunk called Dinosaur. Comprised of WMHC vets, the trio was a miasmic tornado of guitar noise, bad attitude and near-subliminal pop-based-shapeshifting. Through their existence, Dinosaur (amended to Dinosaur Jr. for legal reasons) defined a very specific, very aggressive set of oblique song-based responses to what was going on. Their one constant was the scalp-fryingly loud guitar and deeply buried vocals of J Mascis.
A couple of years before they ended their reign, J cut a solo album called Martin + Me. Recorded live and acoustic, the record allowed the bones of Js songs to be totally visible for the first time. Fans were surprised to hear how melodically elegant these compositions were, even if J still seemed interested in swallowing some of the words that most folks would have sung. Since then, through the reformation of the original Dinosaur Jr line up in 2005, J has recorded solo albums now and then. And those album, Sings + Chant for AMMA (2005), Several Shades of Why (2011) and Tied to a Star (2014) had all delivered incredible sets of songs presented with a minimum of bombast and a surfeit of cool.
Like its predecessors, Elastic Days was recorded at Js own Bisquiteen studio. Mascis does almost all his own stunts, although Ken Miauri (who also appeared on Tied to a Star) 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 Js and Js alone. The biggest difference with this record might have to do with the drums. Id just got a new drum set I was really excited about. I dont have too many drum outlets at the moment, so I played a lot more drums than Id originally planned. I just kept playing. [laughs] Id play the acoustic guitar parts then head right to the drums.
There is plenty of drumming on the dozen songs on Elastic Days but for those expecting the hallucinatory overload of Dinosaur Jrs live attack, the gentleness of the approach here will draw easy comparisons to Neil Youngs binary approach to working solo versus working with Crazy Horse. This is a lazy mans 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 (Web So Dense) to jazzily-canted West Coasty post-psych (Give It Off) to a track that subliminally recalls the keyboard approach of Scott Thurstonera Stooges (Drop Me). The album plays out with a combination of holism and variety that is certain to set many brains ablaze. J says hell be taking this album on the road later in the year. Hell be playing by himself but unlike other solo tours he says hell be standing up this time. I used to just sit down and build a little fort around myself amps, music stands, drinks stands, all that stuff. But I just realized it sounds better if the amps are higher up because Im so used to playing with stacks. So Ill stand this time. I ask if its not pretty weird to stand alone on a big stage. Yeah, he says. But its weird sitting down too.
Available to independent retailers on crystal clear with purple swirl vinyl.
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