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Buoyed by the lethargy embodied in his laconic vocal delivery and tossed-off solos-- the qualities that distinguished Mascis as the godfather of slacker rock-- this album sounds nothing short of triumphant. Which is funny, because aside from sounding the most excited and invigorated he has in years, J Mascis does little different on More Light.
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The irony, of course, is that More Light is a perfect fit within the Dinosaur Jr catalog and, in fact, would rank as one of its better entries, a spirited, 11-song outing on which Mascis' writing and performing sound fresher and more muscular than they have in years, certainly since the early end of the '90s.
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There are moments on this album when you remember Nirvana used to open for J Mascis' old band, Dinosaur Jr. There are many such moments, gloriously ragged snatches of rock.
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Q MagazineHard, reverb-heavy, yet fluent guitar arabesques topped by husky, yearning, sorely troubled vocals. [Nov 2000, p.110]
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The good thing with Mascis is that, even without straying in the least from his recognizable sound, he can maintain some degree of unpredictability in his songs.
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SelectIt's no great leap forward. [Nov. 2000, p.117]
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The sameyness is still there, granted, but like [Neil] Young, his spiritual godfather, Mascis has a way of making his ramshackle melodies are downright endearing, and if you're a kindhearted soul, that'll allow you to forgive the half-assed stuff.
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Alternative PressMore Light... burns with a raw intensity, albeit sandwiched between moments that recall Mascis' acoustic and goofy backwoods major-label work. [Jan 2001, p.94]
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Entertainment WeeklyThis supposed solo album sounds exactly like Dinosaur Jr... It's a formula that can still thrill... but Mascis hs been doing this for well over a decade, and Light doesn't come close to Dinosaur classics like You're Living All Over Me. [10/27/2000, p.2000]
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The solo J. has all the heartfelt keening of Where You Been-era Dinosaur, but with a fresh approach to his trademark blending of powerchords and melodies.
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The disc is loud, unfailingly melodic, and pretty laid-back.... Whether More Light will prove strong enough to once again set the tone of indie music, let alone contemporary guitar-rock, is another question entirely, though it's no doubt the last one on Mascis' mind. As usual, he sounds more concerned with unfashionable navel-gazing rock than earth-changing works of mass cultural importance and emotional resonance...
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The WireMore Light is, on the whole, more of what made him great--songs with airhead titles like "Where'd You Go," which stretch glorious guitar solos over solid chopping riffs--but it's packed with too much filler. [#200, p.80]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 2 out of 3
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Mixed: 0 out of 3
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Negative: 1 out of 3
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KennyA.Sep 10, 2002Mascis kicks *ss