J Mascis
Live At CBGB'S: The First Acoustic Show

"My ambition is to have no ambitions".

That's more or less how J describes himself programmatically on his personal homepage. And I believe he states this without a trace of irony.

Now that he seems to have been enlightened on the road to Amma (an Indian guru) to the point where he is convinced his hair has suddenly turned white due to his spiritual-religious enlightenment, having gained weight and incredibly similar to Bob, the monster who killed Laura Palmer, J has thrown himself headlong back into the past that made him a semi-god, reviving his best (and most famous/remunerative) creation, that is Dinosaur Jr, announcing even a new album and DVD next year with the hated Lou Barlow.

A reissue of much of the catalog and as a treat for the most die-hard fans comes this acoustic live, in the vein of "martin and me" that J himself introduces before starting the first track as his debut in an unplugged setting. The sound quality is not perfect, and the emotion is sometimes tangible in the voice and the hands striking the guitar, making the pieces uncertain, seeming as if at any moment they could fall out of the stereo speakers yet somehow it works.

It must be the generally monstrous songwriting, his voice always on the verge of breaking which is at the same time a weakness and a strength, and it becomes a daunting task not to be moved by hearing a very sparse "not the same".

Perhaps a CD that I would recommend to those who, like me, sincerely think that J Mascis is one of the few living pop geniuses.