Heavy Blanket is Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis along with Pete Cougar and Johnny Pancake. I’m going to go on the record and say that Mr. Cougar and Mr. Pancake are operating under assumed names. Heavy Blanket is also what you get when J Mascis dispenses with all of those things in songs that get in the way of the mighty guitar riff. Things, like, oh, melody and structure and words and a chorus. But, damn, does that man shred his way through “Dr. Martens Blues.” It’s one ragged, head-banging lead after another with just enough bass and drums in the mix to keep it from being total wankery. And I say wankery like it’s a bad thing in this context. Really, if you’re going to put your money down on Heavy Blanket, you’re asking for two sides of only the finest guitar wankery an alt-rock legend can offer.

Heavy Blanket’s self-titled LP will be released Is May 8th via Outer Battery Records.