I'm fairly sure that just about everyone (even if they don't love it) at least respects Bob Mould's pioneering work as the front man of Minneapolis punks Husker Du. And as great as Husker Du was, I loved the early 90's power-pop of Mould's trio Sugar even more. It is hard to believe (and equally amazing) that Bob Mould has (now) been making music for almost 30 years. Not just any music, but music that is always relevant; music that shows he isn't content resting on his laurels.Late last year I picked up a copy of Bob Mould's recent concert DVD Circle Of Friends. It is an excellent document of a live show that spans Mould's entire catalog and actually got me really excited to hear his newest album District Line. I'll admit that I sorta lost touch with Mould's music after the demise of Sugar in the mid 90's, in part, because he stopped making music for a few years, but also because I'd moved on to other bands; other genres. I was a fickle teenager at the time but weren't we all once.
Fast forward to 2008 and as I'm listening to the first song off District Line I can't help but think about how much energy the music has. I think about the fact that Brendan Canty (of Fugazi) has been playing drums with Mould recently. I think about the unabashed emotions that Mould pours into these songs. I think about how little difference there really is between (say) "Stupid Now" and "A Good Idea." Bob Mould has still got it. Whatever it is, he has it. Certainly though there are changes. We are all older (if not any wiser) and many things have changed in the last 10 years. Mould has incorporated electronic and dance music and combined it with power-pop moments as well as more introspective ones.
The bottom line (however) is that District Line is great. It isn't Copper Blue or Zen Arcade, but it is still great. I don't know if a 15 year old kid would love this the way I loved Copper Blue so many years ago, but (at this point) I don't think that Bob Mould is making music to satisfy anyone but himself. And if that means more records like District Line, I'm fine with that.
Now on this Friday evening I should actually be at Chicago's Metro to see Bob Mould live, but due to a number of factors (mainly work and being sick and exhausted) I didn't make it downtown to catch the show. So instead I'm sipping some green tee and watching Mould's Circle Of Friends DVD; and wishing I was at Metro.
MP3 | Bob Mould - The Silence Between Us District Line
MP3 | Bob Mould - Stupid Now District Line
More MP3's at The Hype Machine or buy from Insound | eMusic
2 Comments ↓
This is a great album! And, yes, whatever 'it' is, he certainly still has 'it!' With songs like "Stupid Now," he might have more of 'it' than he ever had!
Just saw Mould Monday night here in Toronto. I had just bought District Line that day and only heard it once prior to the show.
The show was amazing. I am so jaded these days that I wasn't expecting much. I was big fan of Husker Du when I was teenager but never saw them live. I also loved Copper Blue and regret missing Sugar when I had the chance to see them years ago. So it was great to hear this set which was made up mostly of equal parts Copper Blue, newer material (District Line and the previous record), and 4 or 5 of the better Husker Du songs, spanning their catalog! It started off a little rough until they got the sound right, but by the second half everything gelled. I was stunned by how perfect the Husker Du songs were - great choices too, as these were less 'dated' sounding songs then some of their stuff. He did a killer extended version of Chartered Trips.
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