What does it sound like?:
After the demise of Husker Du, Bob Mould released a couple of solo albums in a similar style and, erm, mould.
He then formed Sugar whose debut album – ‘Copper Blue’ – took Husker Du’s melodic moments and added some shine. ‘Copper Blue’ is, to my ears, a better album than Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ yet Sugar remained a peg below their Grunge counterparts in a voracious genre chasing media.
Thought For The Day: Is Bob Mould to Grunge what Paul Weller is to Britpop?
Bob Mould’s solo career continued releasing a number a critically acclaimed, but largely commercially ignored albums.
Last years ‘Sunshine Rock’ seemed to be showing Bob in a more optimistic light – there were genuine moments of lightness and happiness there.
His current release – and maybe it is a reflection of the times – is as simmering and angry as ever.
The opening track is titled “Heart On My Sleeve” and that is exactly what he does, and he’s not the happiest bunny in the hutch. Although don’t be fooled by the acoustic Neil Young-esque nature of the track – there is a definite undercurrent going on in the lyric. It sounds like it’s about to explode into a full on angry thrash. It doesn’t, but track 2 (“Next Generation”) does just that from the first second. The next couple of tracks – “American Crisis” and “Fireball” – keep up the momentum and are not a million miles from his best work with Husker Du and Sugar.
And the anger and thrashing keep coming rarely stopping for breath. Bob’s just passed 60 but you wouldn’t believe it with the energy flying out of your speakers here.
Some of the tracks may be painting a dark picture (“Forecast Of Rain”) but amongst the grooves of this record, there just feels a glimmer of hope that things can get better. The closing of final track “The Ocean” is a fading trail of distortion – almost like an unfinished end to the frustration, desperation and disappointment laid out before.
What does it all *mean*?
Despite 2020 being something of a social write-off, it continues to produce some truly magnificent records
Goes well with…
Wondering how Nirvana and Pearl Jam got all the plaudits, but Husker Du, Sugar and Bob Mould are often relegated to second place in the Grunge Wars.
Release Date:
September 2020
Might suit people who like…
Noisy guitars with melody and a bit of hope
There are times when I believe that Husker Du’s “Sorry Somehow” may be one of the greatest songs ever written. Well, in the shape of “Siberian Butterfly” Bob’s created another superb ear-worm
Terrific!
Good point…
I like the sound of this new album – on the purchase list.
Also, Sugar were immense, they deserved more…I used to give copies of Copper Blue and Beaster as gifts, in they hope they’d gain some traction with my so-called friends…I seem to remember it only succeeded with my band mates at the time…
Oh yes, Copper Blue is brilliant. I too thought they towered over Nirvana. As for Husker Du, Could You Be The One is one of the best songs of the eighties. I will admit Bob Mould’s recent stuff has somewhat passed me by but I’ll give the new album a proper listen.
Lovely review, Rigid Digit, and I will definitely hear this. Mould and Husker Du really were immense, and now underrated. I agree about the Grunge connection: I could not get into Nirvana that much at the time as I felt that HD had already gone there.
Thanks for the review, Mr Digit. Nice one.
And Afterworders – don’t forget the career-spanning 24 (Twenty-four) CD box set “Distortion 1989-2019” that’s coming out on Friday (30 October). Makes an ideal Christmas present for the Mould fan in your life!
https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/bob-mould-distortion-vinyl-cd-boxes/
Sugar’s Copper Blue is indeed an awesome record and the Du’s Sorry Somehow a superb song. One of the great regrets of my life is not getting to see Sugar the night they were on at the Town and Country Club in London in Sept 1992. –
Only consolation/mitigation was I did get to see Warren Zevon solo on his Learning to Flinch tour at the same venue the previous evening
Love Copper Blue and File Under…, plus his first couple of solo albums.
I would love it if someone remixed those Du albums, as they are an archetypal example of a band poorly served by production. Guitars that sound like hedge trimmers, drums that sound like a wet cardboard box being kicked through a tunnel and barely perceptible bass. They should start with Flip Your Wig and New Day Rising.
Hell, yes. The drums on those Hüsker Dü albums are just awful.
I’m sure it’s been posted here before but his KEXP performance from a few years back when he rocked so intensely it steamed his specs up was just glorious!
There’s a good, long article in last month’s Uncut magazine where Bob Mould talks about Husker Du, Sugar and his solo albums. In the article he talks about making Zen Arcade, which is my favourite Husker album. I quote- “Why the hell should we sweat this shit? With the musical elements we added in Zen Arcade, we had limited studio time, a lot of ideas and a couple of grams of crystal meth. So you just look around at your tools.” An attitude and approach that Robson and Jerome employed to great effect 10 years later, of course.
State of the Nation address…
Hoover Dam is one of my favourite Americana songs of all time. Kissing cousins with the B’52’s in my feels.
If you’re a Mould fan, I can recommend his biography, “See a Little Light – The Tail of Rage and Melody”. It’s a decent read, with the exception of one chapter. That’s the chapter when Bob temporarily hangs up his guitar and goes on the road as a sort of “storyline-creator” for matches on the WWE professional wrestling tour in the US. Bizarre. And not as exciting as a Hüsker Dü album. Not by a long way.
If you search on YT there are a few ‘private remasters’ of Husker Du material. Here is a playlist of Zen Arcade:
Without access to masters they can’t be the full upgrade that an official release would be but these tracks do have a bit more air in the mix and more bass.