J Mascis – Tied to a Star

Beautiful and Unenthusiastic

There’s something about J Mascis’s voice people can’t get enough of. The Dinosaur Jr. frontman has seen success since the mid-’80s and again lately with the resurgence of his famous nostalgic indie rock band, which paved the way for indie music as we know it today. His discography is vast, as vast as it should be for a rock musician in his late forties, and he shows no signs of stopping. Releasing his second album under the simple moniker “J Mascis,” Tied to a Star is mid-tempo, falling somewhere between acoustic rock and folk.

He starts off with “Me Again,” a pleasant acoustic track featuring Mascis’s ever-present melancholy life woes. While most of the album sticks strictly to acoustics, you’ll hear Mascis whip out his electric sometimes, particularly on “Every Morning.”

“Wide Awake” is one of the best tracks on the album, a quiet, whispered duet with Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and in “Heal the Star” Mascis’s voice is so perfectly raspy and gentle. And if you’re worried about hearing an old man voice, listen to “Stumble” to clear your concerns, where he hits notes so high that even some of us young enough to be his children couldn’t hit. You don’t get any of that sweet voice in “Drifter,” though; it’s just two-and-a-half minutes of him jamming hard on his acoustic, which is a good thing anytime you’re talking about J Mascis.

You’re not going to hear too much gruff about this album, unless it’s some bull about hearing the same old stuff from J Mascis. But let us remind you: IT’S J MASCIS FROM DINOSAUR JR. This is just what he does! He’s been recording albums since longer than some of his fans have been alive, and will likely keep pumping them out until the day he dies, regardless of the opinions of critics and even fans. Tied to a Star isn’t just for J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr. followers; it can easily be thrown into anyone’s new music mix and used in coffee shops, relaxing car rides, or as some Sunday background music.