Customer Reviews

Free So Free

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have just read three, horrible scathing reviews for this record. Now I'm not really into writing reviews, as you usually find only people who really love a record will review it so in terms of bias you're getting alot. Thing is, I have to defend this record. I'm from the New School where I prefer J's output since "Where You Been" rather than before it. Ok the last Dinosaur records weren't great I admit. "More Light" was a fantastic record and easily topped his Dinosaur output. Now here comes the follow up. It's more of the same really, strong melodies, set to crunching grunge guitar and blistering solos. "Feel So Free" & "Bobbin" are really cool tracks & "Everybody Lets Me Down" is effortless powerpop which sounds so simple but few can pull it off as effectively as J. For the 3 previous reviewers who gave the record 1 star, go back and listen to your 80's indie records as you've obviously not moved on from then. For me "Feel So Free" is a moving record with an engrossing concept of freedom.

All Im gonna say is that I have been into Dino jr since the early to mid 80's when they realeased their self titled. Every album offers something new and something different (especially the CD single take a run at the sun.) People always wanna compare post 'where've you been' to pre 'where've you been', well you know what it's pointless to do so. Lou Barlow's sound had such an effect on the first few albums that you could eventually tell J wasn't into them so much (because the bass lines slowly sank behind the guitar riffs) so they split up. Lou went to his own bands (sebedoh, etc...) that allowed for his sound but Dino jr has and always will be the music expression of j mascis. With or without a band he would have released the cd and had it sound his way ( and i believe he has played every instrument on a cd before -- check the liners). This CD deserves 5 stars because it is J doin what he does best...make music. At least he is still making music for our ears because there are so many other bands that made music then that I can't stand listening to now. So buy the damn CD, you'll enjoy it.

'Free So Free' isn't a great album. Its not exactly bad either, just kind of middling. J Mascis hasn't really created a great set of songs since 'Green Mind' or maybe 'Where You Been?' both with his band Dinosaur Jr. This set of song isn't really all the different from where he left off with that band of his last album as J Mascis & the Fog. Imagine Neil Young only more of a slacker and virtually none of the anger. Only that probably unfair to J as his own distinct personality is for better or worse stamped all over 'Free So Free'. He spins of some incredible solos left and right, not so much spectacular virtuosity as quirky bits of twisted flights of fancy (not that J isn't a brilliant guitarist, he is).

The best song and the only really great one is 'Everybody Let's Me Down' a song J should have (some might meanly say already did) write years ago during the grunge explosion when it probably would have been a massive hit. Elsewhere this is tired album, full of songs about relationships that are breaking of have broken down and about breaking out of the ruts in life whether it be depression or just old habits. If you're not a big Dinosaur Jr. fan then I probably wouldn't recommend it, and even if you are only get it if you're a completist or you prefer the later albums than band put out.

just had to write a review of this album. i nearly didn't buy it based on some pretty harsh reviews i'd read about it on amazon. but i'd been on a j/dinosaur kick lately, so i picked it up. man! do not underestimate j's solo work! i think i actually prefer this album and more light to any of his dinosaur jr output. the songs are much more focused and distinctive. sure, there are tons of people out there who disagree, but i just figure if his later stuff speaks this much to me, chances are it'll do it for others too. and that guy who complained about the excessive use of the word "free" missed the point. this album is a meditation on freedom, a subject vast enough to warrant an album's worth of thought and investigation.

When I heard J. Mascis had released a second album with his new project, the Fog, I was elated to say the least. The Fog's initial effort, 2000's "More Light," was fantastic and confirmed my membership in the life-long Dinosaur Jr. and J. Mascis fan club. I saw J play tracks from "More Light" live in Houston and it only confirmed how strong the songs were and how much I can't seem to get enough of J's guitar work.
Unfortunately, that's not been the case with "Free so Free." From the labored feel of the opening cut, "Freedom," to the unparalleled redundance of the word "freedom" itself, the album just seems to be missing the usual brilliance and heart-felt emotion that have characterized J's previous work.
I have played the album three to four times, searching, looking and hoping for that spark that permeates classic Dinosaur Jr. cuts and even the Fog's first release. But I keep coming up empty.
Listening to the album becomes an exercise in pushing the skip button, forever moving to the next track in the hope that a hidden gem will surface that so far has been overlooked.
At moments, it appears a diamond will surface. A hook here or a melodic chorus there jumps out and I'm just about convinced the track is going to be yet another J. Mascis favorite.
But then the hook dies, or the chorus gets swallowed by a bored verse, and I'm left wondering where it went.
Even so, the album is not a complete letdown. There are moments of greatness, moments when J hits the overdrive and pushes his guitar to limits that few guitar players will ever reach.
That's the case on "Say the Word," the album's ninth track. J launches into a wah-wah laced solo that is nothing short of exceptional. And though the solo is lengthy, it is so wonderful you still feel cheated by the time he hits the last note.
And yet, the song itself falls short. The two-chord verse riffs are slow, tedious and generally sound uninspired. It's indicative of the album as a whole.
So, would I suggest buying this album?
Well, that depends. If you are a long-time Dinosaur Jr. and J. Mascis fan, definitely pick this up. Even at its worst, the album is still better than the endless hordes of sound-alike "alternative" bands that currently have a stranglehold on the radio.
But if you've never heard J before and are curious about his work, don't buy this one first. Instead, start with Dinosaur Jr. albums like "Where You Been," "Without a Sound," "Hand it Over" and even earlier releases like the classic "You're Living All Over Me."
And don't forget "More Light" by J and the Fog. It's a great album, too.
Then, after you've been won over by J, come back and pick up "Free so Free." At least then you'll know what you're missing.

Although I definitely think Mascis' musical output peaked with 1993's Where You Been, I have bought all his albums since then and, despite the decline in quality, never regretted doing so because there were always three or four songs that were so catchy, sweet, and warm. Not so here. Free So Free is a sonic continuation of everything from Without a Sound (glossier production, more economic solos and song lengths), but nothing here sticks in the brain or heart like earlier Mascis stuff. Closest the album comes is opener Freedom, which begins great but then goes nowhere and repeats itself too much. Everything else on here sounds like a paler version of better songs he's done before. If That's How It's Gotta Be is an acoustic ballad dwarfed by Not the Same (Where You Been) and Outta Hand (Without a Sound). Everybody Let Me Down is the singalong that tries and fails to match Freak Scene (Bug) and The Wagon (Green Mind). The rest resembles the glut of unremarkable tunes he's recorded on the last four LPs: overproduced 4-4 guitar clunkers with the same rhymes (feel, deal, feeling, ceiling, down, around), phone-in solos, and messy drum hyperactivity distracting the listener from whatever melody he gets going. Mascis needs to either retire, try writing completely different songs, or bring in a lot of people to add some kind of rub or contrast to this autopilot output he's been cranking out. The recurring references to "freedom"--and his label's claim they point to some kind of a "concept"--don't work at all. His lyrics are generically symbolic as always, minus the overuse of that word.

When I hear the words "faith", "pray", and "God" in a song, I notice them - strange that other reviewers haven't mentioned J's increasingly religious lyrics. He sounds very much like someone in a Twelve Step program.

As usual, the solos are excellent. They're easily the most interesting thing about this batch of songs. J seems to need the tension of a real band to produce his best music. The recent Dino Jr reunion disc ("Beyond") played J's faith against Lou's skepticism. It was a strong, diverse album. This one feels samey and underdeveloped.

But those solos...

I bought Without a Sound at AV thrift in Lancaster when I was about 16ish and it pretty much changed what kind of music I would, henceforth, ever listen to.

Up until then I had been listening to just about any ska band I could get my hands on, and I just about gobbled up every crappy new-school punk cd I could find. I think I even had some Garth Brooks hanging around.

Bear in mind, I wasn't a complete idiot, it's just that I didn't know there was anything else that was better. Not to mention the quick and easy access to the Reel Big Fishes and Sublimes of the world. Worse than smoking or drinking.

Anyways, in the past 8 years or so since I first heard the glory and majesty that is J. Mascis, I found out that he was still making records. I figured that if this album was half as good as Without a Sound then I'd be satisfied to listen to it. I was pleased to find that not only does it have moments that equal Without a Sound, sometimes it surpasses it.

Notable standouts are Freedom, If That's How It's Gotta Be, Set Us Free, and Tell the truth. Could this potentially be another life changing album? Probably not. But it's nice to think that maybe someday, somewhere, some dumb mixed-up-kid listening to Blink 182 or whoever it is ruining the airwaves these days, will find this sitting in a used CD bin at the AV Thrift and give it a listen.

j is truly king. i have been a huge fan of the man behind dino and the fog. his music has touched me in profond ways. i would echo the above reviews in saying i a very glad j continues to do his thing both in the studio and on stage. ive see the man live solo and with a band. both are breath taking. this album is no different. its incredible. in a music world where not many are producing quality songs j breaks through and gives us such classics as if thats how its gotta be. the man knows how to personify human emotion and relationships through sound. everyone show own this album and wish j the best and keep on sayin the word. alanS.

I too am surprised by some of the negative reviews Free So Free is getting. I would agree that J Mascis can be a bit hit and miss but on Free So Free, IMHO, he is rocking' solid again. I can forgive you for not liking all of More Light - some of the background guitars were kind of grating (was this Kevin Shields?). However, a spin of Free So Free will have your foot tapping and your head nodding. Check out the rocking-ness of Bobbin or the guitar licks on Say The Word. And for a catchy tune what about Set Us Free. Okay so, I don't pay too much attention to the lyrics, but Mascis's guitar work is sublime. Set him free - you won't regret it.