Several Shades of Why

Kurt Vile's billowy brown locks that shade his sleepy eyes and add frizzy curtains to his mic-kissing drawling ballads seems to already recall the distinctive drooping mop aura of guitar god J. Mascis...





Makes sense that they're doing some shows together - including Mar 31st at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. The dark-folk-tinged indie rock singer/songwriter from Philly brings ballads from his latest Smoke Ring for My Halo (video from Pitchfork's "Don't Look Down..." below).





It's also fitting that the cover of J. Mascis' brand-new (out today) solo album, Several Shades of Why would feature curious hairy creatures...upon a curious hill...of hair... Or maybe that's not fitting and I'm beating a lame tangent's proverbial dead horse.

But, interestingly, Mascis, often a soundsystem onto himself, with his mightily roaring amps and electric-guitar wizardry - has unplugged himself... This is an acoustic album and it seems to have been pulled off quite well by the renowned underground-pop shredder...

Take a sampling

J. Mascis' (from Sub Pop's Several Shades of Why)

"Not Enough"

"Is It Done"

And then, groove on some Kurt Vile, while you're here...