Revenge of the 90's Indie!

Obits - Moody, Standard & Poor

Obits is a “veteran” indie rock band, featuring band members from Hot Snakes, Pitchfork, Edsel, and (one of my personal favorites), Drive Like Jehu. Their sophomore effort, Moody, Standard & Poor improves upon their debut album, I Blame You. I Blame You had catchy songs, but the production was somewhat lacking. On MS&P, though, Obits have beefed up their sound and have turned out a great garage-rock album. Influenced by punk old-school punk, surf rock, and other genres, MS&P is varied enough to keep the listener interested. Rick Froberg’s guitar antics aren’t as crazy as in Drive Like Jehu, but they still suit the songs. Recommended if you like garage rock or punk.

J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why

On his first studio album, J Mascis drops most of what has made him an underground icon in Dinosaur Jr (loud guitars, squealy solos, the effects pedal), and instead focuses on his songwriting with a mostly acoustic album. There are still a couple songs that feature his trademarks (Is It Done features an electric guitar solo), but most of the songs are J Mascis with an acoustic guitar and a few friends to back him up. Fans of Dinosaur Jr will not be surprised that J Mascis is still a great songwriter. This might be his most sincerely emotional album yet. There isn’t much in the way of blistering energy, but the songwriting is definitely enough to make up for it. Recommended if you like anything J Mascis has been involved in.

-Lebowski