New album: Tied To A Star
Artist: J Mascis
Label: Sub Pop
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Known primarily for his bludgeoning electric work with Dinonsaur Jr. and his stoner rock project Heavy Blanket, J Mascis proves that he knows his way around an acoustic guitar on “Tied To A Star.”
“Tied To A Star” isn’t Mascis’ first acoustic project, but it is his best. Alternating between guitar-only accompaniment (“Heal The Star,” “Me Again”) and fleshed out tracks (“Every Morning,” “Drifter”), “Tied To A Star” is a watershed moment for Mascis. Wielding acoustic guitar chops somewhere between Pete Townshend and Neil Young and a voice reminiscent of Chris Cornell in non-screamo mode, Mascis proves quiet can still be intense.
As with his Heavy Blanket project, Mascis is doing the one-man band thing on “Tied To A Star.” A few guests pop up (Chan Marshall, Pall Jenkins and Ken Maiuri have small cameos), but this is Mascis’s show. This record doesn’t have the “recorded at home” sound of Townshend’s “Who Came First” or Paul McCartney’s solo debut, but the performances are earthy and sheen free. Most importantly, Mascis has delivered a strong batch of pseudo-introspective songs that never disappear up the backside of the performer.
It’s interesting to hear Mascis come out from behind his usual wall of amplified fuzz. As it turns out, he’s a great singer-songwriter who can unplug without loosing touch with his rock roots. Whether your a longtime J Mascis fan or not, “Tied To The Stars” should find you incredibly satisfied.
Classic album: Chicago V
Artist: Chicago
Label: Columbia
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Chicago weren’t the only horn-driven rock band when they released their fifth album in 1972, but there’s no question they were the best.
Along with those tight, immaculately arranged horns, Chicago boasted a largely unsung guitar genius in Terry Kath. Hailed by Jimi Hendrix as one as the best guitar players he’d ever seen, Kath’s aggressive solos and leads lines punctuate stellar “Chicago V” tracks such as sludgy funk of “State Of The Union” and the Ray Charles-channeling “Alma Mater.”
As for those aforementioned horns, they dominate the landscape of “Chicago V.” You can almost see the speakers on your stereo smile when those great horn lines cut through “Saturday In The Park” and “Dialogue.”
The horns also work brilliantly on the prog-ish album opener “A Hit By Varrese.” which next to “Liberation” may be the most underrated song in the Chicago discography.
From a vocal perspective, Robert Lamm, Peter Cetera, James Pankow and Kath laid down some incredible harmonies on “Chicago V.” Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are usually the go-to harmony group of the late 1960s/early 1970s, but Chicago boasted top-not singing as well. Throw in unparalleled horn harmonies and in some cases you’ll think you’re listening to the Beach Boys on speed.
Other Chicago albums may have had more hits, but “Chicago V” plays the best as an album. If all you know about Chicago are the radio ballads of the 1980s, do yourself a favor and check out this vintage slice of auditory goodness.
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Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com.