J Mascis

Time and a plethora of ex-members prove Dinosaur Jr. to be a revolving cast of musicians orbiting around J Mascis. To that extent, Hand It Over (1997), essentially a solo effort, marked Dinosaur Jr.'s final album and prompted Mascis to finally retire the name and end the pretense of a creative collective. Resurfacing in 2000 under the moniker J Mascis + the Fog, a weight seems to have been lifted from Mascis' shoulders. The material is confident, powerful and quirky as ever. More Light is still a one-man affair, but Mascis has upped the star power quotient. The band (for recording purposes, anyway) includes Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine), Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices) and fIREHOSE guru, Mike Watt.