It's impossible to separate J Mascis from his glorious fretwork as the frontman of alt-rock legends Dinosaur Jr., though the guitar icon has branched out in plenty of ways through the decades. Surprising fans with the acoustic live album Martin + Me in 1996, Mascis took a liking to stripped-down folk rock as a solo artist, a trend he carried on—even after Dinosaur reunited—with Several Shades of Why in 2011. That's not to say he's stayed away from the noise outside of Dinosaur though, as demonstrated by his doom metal band Witch and psychedelic instrumental project Heavy Blanket.