On a record full of sprawling guitar solos, textual acoustics and steady drums, J Mascis’s plaintive-howl of a vocal tops off everything, adding one more layer of poignancy.
If he sounds broken, it’s only because the Dinosaur Jr man is finding a new way to express himself. What Do We Do Now is only his fifth solo studio album since 1996, but it’s not like he doesn’t have a welter of other projects.
Started during final days of lockdown, it may sound like a full band, but really it’s just Mascis following his own lead and adding then adding some more. Guest musicians include Ken Mauri of The B-52’s on keyboards and Matthew ‘Doc’ Dunn on steel guitar.
Standout track is the full-blown power ballad Right Behind Me, featuring a classic wailing Mascis guitar solo. Excellent
