Several Shades of Why

2011, Mar 15

Apple Spotify Bandcamp Singer-Songwriter Acoustic Rock Folk Rock 94 Sub Pop Records Pitchfork 7.9/10 A.V. Club D+ NME 3/5 Paste 8.2/10 DIY 4/5 All Music 4/5 The Skinny 4/5 Under The Radar 7.0/10 Loud and Quiet 5/10 Pop Matters 7/10 Spectrum Culture 76% music OMH 3.5/5 Beats Per Minute 77% Uncut 8/10

Pitchfork 7.9/10 After more than a quarter-century, the Dinosaur Jr. leader releases his first solo album of all original material, and it's an almost entirely acoustic gem.

A.V. Club D+ As frontman for seminal grunge act Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis has mastered a ferociously loud guitar sound and a monotone vocal whine that works spectacularly well for his band, even when it obscures how tuneful and well-constructed his songs are. When he puts out records under his own name, though, Mascis tends to go…

DIY 4/5 His emotionally fractured songs are impeccable.

Under The Radar 7.0/10 J Mascis has released a few albums solely under his own name.