What Do We Do Now: CD

What Do We Do Now is the fifth solo album from Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, following a diverse career outside the seminal alternative band: the side-project J Mascis + The Fog led to studio collaborations with Kevin Shields and Guided By Voices' Bob Pollard, and live accompaniment from longtime friend Mike Watt, plus ungodly riff-offs with The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton. Mascis also formed the doom-metal band Witch and played his first love, the drums. With such a varied oeuvre, it is no surprise that What Do We Do Now is as stunning as previous records, if not more so. A serendipitous songwriting approach blossomed, in which the revolutionary guitarist accidentally constructed a full band-styled album, his purposely simple acoustic sketches becoming full-on tracks due to his pull towards the drums. Semi-ethereal post-core gold arrived, fleshed out by Ken Maiuri's (who appeared on the last J Mascis record, Elastic Days) evocative keys. Steel guitarist Matthew Dunn also appears, enhancing a supremely masterful album to even greater heights.