J. Mascis + The Fog – More Light

 

J. Mascis + The Fog – More Light

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

 

You’ve led a successful indie/alternative band for 14 years. You’ve toured with your heroes, and inspired legions of young musicians with your guitar heroics and slacker aesthetics. And then you decide a change is needed.

So was the story of J. Mascis in 1997. His band Dinosaur Jr. had just released Hand It Over, an album which Mascis still considers to be one of his best. But problems with their label, Blanco y Negro/Sire – they were dropped – meant that the album was under promoted.

As a result, very few copies were sold, and fans seeing them on the tour – now featuring bassist Mike Johnson and drummer George Berz – were surprised to find out that a new record was even out. With Mascis being the only original member left, and an overall loss of interest in alternative rock, the writing was on the wall.

So, after a show at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA in November 1997, J. Mascis quietly put the Dinosaur Jr. name to rest. To paraphrase the track “Gettin’ Rough” from Hand It Over, the charm was gone, and it was time to move on.

Mascis coped with the change the only way he knew how – he retreated to his home studio, Bob’s Place. Named after his beloved bulldog – the same one which graced the cover of Dinosaur’s Whatever’s Cool With Me album – it was a sanctuary of musical equipment and inspiration.

Mascis built the studio in the mid-90s after, in his words, “staring out the window [of a recording studio] and realizing how much money [he] was wasting.” It was better to spend the recording budget on something to own and be able to spend as much time as the songs need.

Some of the new songs sounded like they could’ve been on late-period Dinosaur Jr. albums, while others were written on keyboards instead of the guitar – Mascis’ trademark instrument. And like those late-period Dinosaur albums, Mascis once again handled most of the instruments – Johnson and Berz only played on a few Dinosaur Jr. studio tracks.

Mascis did however receive some help along the way. Longtime engineer John Agnello was again handling the technical aspects. A talented producer in his own right, Agnello can be credited with helping Mascis and Dinosaur discover a cleaner sound during their 1990s major label period.

Engineer Andy Wilkinson was also on board the project. As engineer for shoegazing bands My Bloody Valentine and The Boo Radleys, Wilkinson built up a reputation as a mixer who could sort through layer and layer of instrumentation to see the bigger picture of what the song needed to sound best.

Speaking of My Bloody Valentine, Kevin Shields played his signature glide guitar style on three tracks. The tortured, reclusive guitarist had been through the ringer, trying – and failing – to create an album to follow up 1991 masterwork Loveless. He had only recently re-emerged as a member of Primal Scream when the Mascis project gained his involvement.

Shields also worked on Hand It Over, but his thumbprints are all over the three tracks he contributed to here. His woozy guitar tones gave the songs a distinct dreaminess, in contrast with Mascis’ warm, major key leads played at ear-splitting volume.

Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard was also involved, singing co-lead vocals on three songs with Mascis. Pollard’s melodic vocals worked wonders with Mascis’ playing and gave the tracks a poppier appeal.

The resulting album was billed to J. Mascis + The Fog. Titled More Light and released in October 2000, it was a long time in the works and had a lot to live up to, given the status of the players involved.

The album opens with the exuberant, optimistic “Same Day.” One of the more distinctly Dinosaur Jr. sounding tracks, It was no doubt picked to ease fans into the new style. Pollard joins in the chorus, after Mascis plays one of his most complex leads in the bridge.

The overall sound has all the marks of an Agnello production job, with big bold drums, stereo panning, and plenty of room for the guitars. In this sense the record sounds halfway between 1993’s Where You Been – the first Dinosaur album with Agnello’s involvement – and 2007’s reunion of the original trio Beyond, which featured an even more direct, in-your-face feeling.

More Light splits the difference by including mellow, graceful numbers such as “Ground Me To You,” which features Mascis on keyboards sounding his coziest. The melody rises steadily and falls throughout the verse, making the song a slightly different kind of Mascis earworm. With the gentle whirring of Shields’ tremolo guitars in the chorus, this is musical comfort food at it’s finest.

Shields also pops up on “Does The Kiss Fit.” He again uses his tremolo/glide guitar sound, but in a different style. His playing mirrors the melody line Mascis performs on a mellotron. With the magic of mixing, Shields’ guitar fades out in the bridge and is replaced by a rip-roaring Mascis solo. The track is a sonic masterpiece and one of the melodic highlights of the album – as well as Mascis’ career at large.

Not everything on the album is as focused on melody, however. The title track – and album closer – is much more like the sonic experiments found on side two of My Bloody Valentine’s eventual follow up to Loveless, 2013’s MBV.

Walls of overdriven guitars and Mascis’ distorted vocals keep the track going for an earsplitting five minutes, chugging along to a motorik drumbeat. While not typical Mascis fare – save for the volume – it is well executed, and worthwhile listening for any Dinosaur or MBV fan.

Another weird track that appears towards the end of the album is “Can’t I Take This On.” Featuring an off-kilter piano melody, funky start-stop drumming, falsetto vocals, and a guest “vocal” by Bob the bulldog (yes, really), it is likely to leave listeners scratching their heads. However, it is a fun diversion, and may also elicit a smile.

Overall, More Light is a fun departure from the usual Dinosaur Jr. fare from Mascis. What it lacks in consistency is more than made up for in sonic textures, diversity of style, and collaborative inspiration. While Mascis may have had the final say on the resulting work, the inclusion of Shields and Pollard make this more than just a Dinosaur Jr. album in disguise.

Ultimatum Music/2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Bloody Valentine – Ecstasy and Wine

My Bloody Valentine – Ecstasy and Wine

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

You’ve led a relatively unsuccessful gothic/post-punk band for a few years now. Your records have failed to make an impact critically or commercially. Conventional wisdom would suggest packing it in. And then you get a new lead singer who helps to change everything.

So was the story of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine in 1987. The Irish-via-Queens, NY guitarist named his group after the 1981 slasher film about a miner who stalks a group of young adults. None of the characters led particularly successful lives, and it was an apt metaphor for Shields’ music endeavors – albeit an unintentional one.

None of the groups albums singles and EPs from up to this point show much of anything to write home about from Geek! to This Is Your Bloody Valentine to “Sunny Sundae Smile” – a bizarre song about necrophilia – My Bloody Valentine looked to be stuck in second-rate mode.

That is, until Bilinda Butcher joined the group. Having relocated to London, Shields found Butcher like a ray of sunshine in a rainstorm. It was discovered very quickly that Butcher and Shields could harmonize incredibly well.

Her soft, airy vocals offered a nice contrast to the fuzzed-out guitars that the band was know for. And Shields was adding new influences to his sound. From The Byrds to The Jesus and Mary Chain to the twee indiepop of the C86 compilation and 14 Iced Bears, Shields was concocting his own sound which would later influence bands such as Slowdive and Ride.

While “shoegazing” hadn’t formally been invented yet, it was this period which would define what the genre would sound like. The music on the band’s first two Eps with Butcher - Strawberry Wine and Ecstasy – would be compiled into an album, aptly titled Ecstasy and Wine put out by Lazy Records in 1989.

By then MBV had moved onto even more experimental territory, fusing their hard-charging post-punk sound with a method of guitar playing known as “glide guitar.” Shields would use the tremolo arm on his Jazzmaster while strumming barre chords so that the strings were constantly fluttering in and out of tune.

The groups 1991 album Loveless was a sonic breakthrough, going into even dreamier territory. It was their last for 22 years. Shields has since distanced himself from Ecstasy and Wine, not performing anything from the record live since 1989. But how does this early material with Butcher hold up? Does it deserve a second look?

“Strawberry Wine” starts the album in jangly fashion with layers of dreamy guitars and Shields harmonizing with Butcher on every line. The C86 influence is out in full swing, with ethereal textures and soundscapes. It evokes the end of a beautiful summer day as the sun sets on a beach with fireworks in the distance. And of course, plenty of fruit wine.

“Never Say Goodbye” is even more powerful, with fuzzy rhythm guitars, jangly leads, and Keith Moon-inspired drumming by Colm Ó Cíosóig (whose name I can’t pronounce, despite my Irish heritage.) The call-and-response vocals by Butcher and Shields describe a perfect day where they “never say goodbye” and they “chase the clouds away.” The effect is again evocative of the free spirit of summertime.

“Can I Touch You?” is The Beach Boys via The Mary Chain in the best possible way. Shields sings this one alone in a voice highly reminiscent of Jim Reid. The majestic backdrop of an ascending guitar riff and Ó Cíosóig’s tribal drumming gives the song a primitive 1960’s pop feel.

“The Things I Miss” features hellish keyboards and fuzzed out guitars contrasted with Butcher’s sweetest cooing vocals. It’s largely different from the later work of MBV, but unlike their goth period, it holds up really well.

Strangely absent from the majority of the record is the sound of Deb Googe’s bass. Her thundering, metallic sound was a hallmark of latter MBV records. Here her work is buried deeply in the mix. Which is ironic, because she contributed lyrics to “Never Say Goodbye,” a trebly sounding recording with almost no audible bass.

But perhaps the strongest tune is The Byrds via R.E.M. jangle of “(You're) Safe in Your Sleep (From This Girl)." With more prominent bass and sounding like one of Mike Mills’ compositions from Murmur or Reckoning, it is the poppiest song on the album.

Shields sings in an upbeat voice about a relationship that is fraying at the seams. It’s the mark of a great songwriter to be able to compose uplifting music to contrast melancholy lyrics. And Shields does so in stride here. What makes the song special is that MBV would never attempt such straightforward pop again, despite succeeding at it. Oh well.

In the coming years, Shields would disown Ecstasy and Wine. Part of this had to do with Lazy Records putting it out after My Bloody Valentine had signed to Creation to cash in on the success of the group’s 1988 album Isn’t Anything. Which is a shame, because – while not as experimental as their later work – the seeds of creativity were clearly sown here.

While their early records showed almost no signs of innovation, My Bloody Valentine proved the value of persistence. On Ecstasy and Wine, the group showed that they had a knack for original sounds. And they helped inspire an entire movement to follow them.

Lazy Records/1989

 

Bob Mould – Patch The Sky

 

Bob Mould – Patch The Sky

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

You’ve led two critically acclaimed and highly influential groups. You’ve inspired dozens of groups to follow in your footsteps. And now you’ve made two recently acclaimed albums about aging as a punk musician. Where do you go from here?

So was the story of Bob Mould in 2016. The former Husker Du and Sugar leader had felt rejuvenated in the wake of his 2011 memoir See A Little Light. And writing the book seems to have greatly influenced his style of songwriting in the years following it.

If 2012’s Silver Age showed Mould making sense of the challenges of aging, 2014’s Beauty & Ruin was even more specific. Songs like “Let The Beauty Be” read like letters to Mould’s younger self. “Hey Mr. Grey” turns middle-aged cliches into a rock anthem.

Like his hero Pete Townshend before him, Bob Mould is always best when working within a specific concept. So, when Mould announced Patch The Sky for release in March 2016, fans had high hopes it could measure up to both of the albums preceding it. But how does it stack up?

Leadoff track “Voices In My Head” features a rising and falling melody, and warm (slightly fuzzy) electric guitars. But the lyrics tell a slightly darker picture. Mould sings of “strange hallucinations” and shutting out the outside world. He also broaches the topic of suicide.

The song ultimately has a positive conclusion, however. Towards the end, Mould sings of “getting on with life instead” and letting go of all his “ghosts and demons.” It’s atypical subject matter for a Mould opener, but one which stirs the thoughts of the listener.

Elsewhere, Mould is in more familiar territory. The powerpoppy “You Say You” and “The End Of Things” again show Mould’s affinity for loud, up-tempo Who-styled rock. “Daddy’s Favorite” could have fit on Beauty & Ruin with Mould again addressing his younger self. With both of his parents now deceased, Mould was able to fully reflect on his upbringing.

I would be remiss not to mention the band chemistry at play on this album. Drummer Jon Wurster of Superchunk is a force behind the kit as always. His muscular fluidity, sheer power, and tight fills bring the songs to life. It is tempting to say that he is the best drummer Mould has ever worked with. (No offense to Grant Hart or Malcolm Travis.)

Bassist Jason Narducy plays with a melodic heaviness that blends with Mould’s fuzzy leads. A strong guitarist in his own right, Narducy’s role is almost that of a rhythm guitarist – similarly to Lou Barlow’s role in Dinosaur Jr.

Of course, Mould is the star of the show, playing and singing his heart out. He is in fine voice throughout, singing (and occasionally shouting) his way through melodically. As the singer and songwriter, he is naturally the emotional center. But his performances are indeed commendable.

“Black Confetti” is perhaps the best song of all. A blurry, fuzzed-out shoegazing track, it displays Mould’s love for My Bloody Valentine. Mould has made no secret of his love for that group’s 1991 opus Loveless. He wrote extensively in his memoir of how it felt like a distillation of all he had wanted to achieve with electric guitars in Husker Du.

Here, he is finally able to capture the sound in one song. A whirring, droning minor key guitar melody with barre chords and plenty of tremolo gives the track a hazy feeling. And the tight mid-tempo drumming of Wurster holds the entire thing together. The cumulative effects of the production, sonics, and arrangement are hair-raising in their meditative qualities.

With Patch The Sky, Bob Mould proves again that getting older can be a great inspiration in the right hands. While some artists may be limited by their advancing age, Mould isn’t afraid of the ghosts of his past or the voices in his head.

Merge/2016