j mascis
25 Artists, 25 Albums, 25 Years of Vagrant Records
For much of the last quarter-century, Vagrant Records has been synonymous with the emo and alternative scenes. Much like how Epitaph Records and Fat Wreck Chords have become well-established homes for punk, Vagrant remains one of the most significant labels in the world thanks to a catalog featuring hundreds of beloved albums and dozens of all-time classics. Beginning with the launch of the Get Up Kids’ Something to Write Home About on Sept. 28, 1999, Vagrant went on a several-year run that included some of the biggest names of the 2000s, ranging from Saves the Day to Alkaline Trio, Dashboard Confessional to Rocket from the Crypt. But rather than hanging the past when artists left for to major labels, breaking up, or otherwise parting ways with Vagrant, the label adapted, expandi...
Dinosaur Jr. Get Animated in ‘Take it Back’ Video
Dinosaur Jr. has been in heavy promo mode lately. The band continued their streak of sharing stellar videos with the release of the animated stop-motion clip for “Take It Back.” It’s the third single/video — following “Garden” and “I Ran Away” — from the band’s Sweep It Into Space, which arrives on April 23 via Jagjaguwar. For the video, director Callum Scott-Dyson said in a statement that he “really wanted to use the creature on the front of the album sleeve for Sweep It Into Space as an inspiration and springboard for its own little adventure, exploring some simple notions of creation, dependence, coming of age and searching for another like yourself.” “I wanted to mix those themes with my style of stop motion animation, everything being very DIY and handmade, using any ma...
Dinosaur Jr. Perform in the Snow in ‘Garden’ Video
Dinosaur Jr. has shared the single “Garden” which follows “I Ran Away,” both from the previously announced release of Sweep It Into Space, which arrives via Jagjaguwar on April 23. Sweep It Into Space was recorded at Amherst’s Biquiteen and features Kurt Vile, who co-produced the album. Lou Barlow writes and sings two of the album’s dozen tunes In the “Garden” video, shot in Western Massachusetts, Barlow, guitarist J Mascis and drummer Murph are in the snow, “playing” their instruments with gloves on. (Technically, Murph is air drumming.) The clip was directed by Lou and Adelle Barlow, with illustrations by tour manager John Moloney and animation by Chloe Hemingway. Of the song and video, Barlow said in a statement: “Everyone seemed to want a disruption in the orde...
Dinosaur Jr. Share New Single ‘I Ran Away’ Ahead of New Album
A few days after celebrating the 30th anniversary of Green Mind, Dinosaur Jr. are back with a new single, “I Ran Away.” The song comes from their forthcoming Sweep It Into Space album. The new LP arrives on April 23 on Jagjaguwar and is the lineup’s first new collection since 2016’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not. The album was co-produced by Kurt Vile, who also played the lead 12-string on “I Ran Away.” Sessions for what would become Sweep It Into Space began in late 2019, with the album originally slated for release in mid-2020. The pandemic, of course, disrupted the recording process. Instead, singer/guitarist J Mascis “ended up just mimicking a few things he’d done. I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was trying to get some of that dueling twin-lead ...
Dinosaur Jr’s Green Mind Turns 30
There’s a valid reason why Dinosaur Jr.’s most allegiant fans allude to Green Mind as frontman J Mascis’ inaugural solo offering: He not only produced the band’s 1991 major label debut but arranged all 10 songs, and tracked all of the vocals, every guitar lick, and — having unceremoniously booted a detached Lou Barlow — each bassline. What’s more, he handled the drums on all but three of Green Mind’s tracks. Not surprisingly, Mascis doesn’t see it the same way. “People say that, but it’s not really” a solo album, “because that wasn’t the intention,” Mascis explains, speaking to SPIN about the revered rock record, released 30 years ago today. “The drum parts, I had written for [longtime Dinosaur Jr.] drummer Murph. I wrote in his style. I wrote what I thought Murph would play. I would have ...
