''Unwilling to Explain'' is the fourth album by
American improvisational
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
band
Unknown Instructors Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of Minutemen and fIREHOSE, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley; Saccharine Trust members, guitarist Joe Baiza and vocalist Jack Br ...
,
featuring
Mike Watt (
The Minutemen,
fIREHOSE),
(Minutemen, fIREHOSE),
J Mascis
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...
(
Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name.
The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlo ...
),
and Dan McGuire.
It was the first Unknown Instructors album that wasn't improvised
and the first to feature Mascis on guitar instead of Baiza.
The recording took quite some time with Watt recording bass tracks in 2011 and Hurley laying down the drums the following year.
Mascis' guitar work was recorded three years after that with Dan McGuire's vocals following.
Reception
David Arnson of ''
Music Connection
''Music Connection'' is a United States-based monthly music-trade magazine, which began publication in 1977. It caters to career-minded musicians, songwriters, recording artists and assorted music-industry support personnel. The magazine began ...
'' called it "truly interesting" but warned "Your mileage may vary on the Tom Waits- and Bukowski-influenced bop narration. The real take- away is Mascis’ fluid and expressive guitar work." ''
Razorcake
Razorcake is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes the Razorcake fanzine, a DIY punk rock fanzine published bi-monthly out of Los Angeles, California. It was co-founded by Todd Taylor (former Flipside managing editor) and Sean Ca ...
's'' Michael T. Fournier praised it saying it "hangs together better than any of the group’s other records I’ve heard."
Mark Hughson of ''Jersey Beat'' said "If you’re into on-the-fly jazz rock you’ll be hard pressed to find better indie star power."
Personnel
*
Mike Watt - bass
*
George Hurley - drums
*
J Mascis
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...
- guitar
*
Dan McGuire - vocals
*
Joe Baiza - vocals
*Stephen Haluska - harp
*Leah Jenssen - cello
*Dan Wenninger - saxophone
;Production
*Dave Gardner - Mastering
*Mike Watt - Producer
*Dan McGuire - Producer
References
External links
''Unwilling to Explain''at
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
{{Authority control
Unknown Instructors albums
2019 albums