To celebrate new releases from two of US indie rock’s most beloved songwriters, here are our thoughts on the highly anticipated new albums from J Mascis and Grandaddy.
Grandaddy – Blu Wav
(Dangerbird Records)
Although Grandaddy has always been very much a band dynamic, I think it’s fair to say that it is the brainchild of vocalist and guitarist Jason Lytle. Which is why it makes sense that for the sixth Grandaddy album, Jason has taken the reins, playing virtually everything we hear.
It’s not been an easy ride for the project – a burn out on the road led to their split in 2005, then once reformed and releasing 2017’s ‘Last Place’ LP, bassist Kevin Garcia suddenly passed away following a stroke just two months after its release. With a solo piano reimagining of the band’s classic ’The Sophtware Slump’ album put out in 2020, it was apparent that Jason’s musical mind was far away from the college rock fuzz that has peppered their discography.
As a result, ‘Blu Wav’ is a spaced out country record that is a reflective, melancholic trip into the depths of Lytle’s mind. It’s not until track 5 that the pace is picked up (fractionally) on the pleasant indie pop stylings of ‘Watercooler’. This is a slow burning, somber affair but nevertheless, an incredibly moving and beautiful one. ‘Cabin In My Mind’ is the poster boy for this record, a super dreamy slab of cloud-bathing psych that taps into the band’s most majestic yet intimate moments.
This is still very much an album about loss and grief though. Lytle is still reeling from a breakdown in his marriage (a key theme on the previous album) and there are times where this album plummets into despair; the sampled screaming in interlude ‘Yeehaw AI in the year 2025’ can be a little distressing, while ‘Nothin’ To Lose’, full of stunning sun soaked harmonies, appears to be about living out your last days.
‘Blu Wav’ is not always an easy listen, but Jason is such an engaging songwriter, so it’s hard not to get reeled in. I’ll be honest, on my first few listens, I struggled to get into the pace of this album, but the more time I spent with it, the more I found myself understanding its dark humour and ultimately finding solace in its gorgeous arrangements. It’s good to have Grandaddy back and their less is more approach has led to one of their boldest moves yet.
J Mascis – What Do We Do Now
(Sub Pop)
Apparently it’s been six years since the last J Mascis solo record and his fifth record in total! Which all seems mad to me, but when you put together all the live records and other projects, not to mention his day job fronting Dinosaur motherfucking Jr, it’s fair to say that J has had quite a fruitful career. I love that quote from Lou Barlow; “J’s week beats your year”.
‘What Do We Do Now’ has been knocking about for quite a bit, with sessions beginning in the first lockdown within his home studios. Usually when writing for Dinosaur Jr, J writes with his fellow bandmates in mind, coming up with ideas that they can fit into, whereas his solo material tends to be stripped back and much more simplistic. But with the sessions starting in what was perhaps a very isolating time for everyone, ‘What Do We Do Now’ finds J yearning to be back in a band, presenting probably his most full sounding solo offering to date.
To me, J is one of those songwriters that is so distinct in their songwriting and melodic choices – everything he does (whatever the name), sounds like him. A lot of this sounds like acoustically driven Dino tunes, which I’m very much up for. ‘Can’t Believe We’re Here’ is an excellent opener, coming straight in as a charged up indie pop banger, complete with a ripping solo! This is the first of many ear worms, ‘Right Behind You’ being my biggest in this collection.
Elsewhere, this is all about beautifully breezy alt-country instrumentals with gorgeous slide guitars and piano plonks, topped with J’s inimitable vocals and forever honest, anxious lyrics. There are times where I think the electric guitars should have come out – ‘Old Friends’ is very much a rock song, with the drums going full pelt throughout. But then you get songs like ‘I Can’t Find You‘, which really suit the light and airy country-folk backing.
There are a fair few moments on ‘What Do We Do Now’ where J shows us why he is such a beloved songwriter, especially in how he manages to fit such vulnerability in his lyrics against these gorgeous slices of sunshine pop. As previously mentioned, there’s also a few moments on here where the rockstar is maybe too eager to burst out and I wonder whether a couple of songs have been saved to get the full, fuzzed up Dinosaur Jr treatment for another time. But when it works, it really works and overall it makes for an extremely pleasant and charming release from everyone’s favourite silver-haired slacker.
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