Bob Mould: Beauty and Ruin (CD on Merge Records)

Band: Bob Mould
Label: Merge Records
Title: Beauty and Ruin

Review (1)	Release Details	Add Release	Releases (10)	Articles (4)
Cover Art (1)	Versions (0)	Edit Release	Releases List (10)	Reviews (3)
Pictures (13)			Summary (0)	Related (0)
			Jukebox (2)	List All (7)

Band:Bob Mould
Title:Beauty and Ruin
Reviewed By:Dastardly
Date Published:15/07/2014

Label:Merge Records
Format:CD
Release Year:0
Lookup:

Bob Mould’s 14th post-Husker Du studio album arrives with a consignment of industrial strength concrete slabs of guitar. ‘Low Season’ is taken at almost a Neil Young pace – Neil Young when he really wants you to know This Is Heavy. “Turn the sunlight down,” sings Bob. It’s a stark choice for an opener, but with each listen sounds more perfect and is also the perfect foil for ‘Little Glass Pill’ which dances in on some tantalising far off guitars that slowly reveal Pete Townsend riding on a giant swan as they come into focus. It’s a riff-tastic track and would be just as happy nudging up to anything on ‘Beaster’.

‘I don’t Know You Anymore’ is more classic Bob - “Pushing record when I wanted to play/The message is clear how you push me away”. Yup, that’ll stay in my head. Talking about the production might be a little Jeremy Clarkson, but fucking hell he knows how to layer those guitars. The sound is almost claustrophobic as the songs bristle and burn like flames seeking oxygen. He’s not afraid to borrow from himself either.‘Kid with a Crooked Face’ is essentially Husker Du’s ‘Do You Remember?’ but doesn’t ever sound like self-parody.

It’s the understated charm of ‘Forgiveness’, however, that really confirms this as a record to hold up to those Sugar classics. Listen to the chord change at 28 seconds and feel something happen in your stomach that immediately triggers something else in your brain that may or may not – it did for me – make you think of a similar chord change in some old REM classic. Whatever, Bob is tuned in to some deep part of our beings and has found a way to bottle it. Why else am I sitting here at 2:11 a.m. writing this ? It’s why we like listening to music. It’s why someone we’ve never met can talk to us at a level that a parent might struggle to find.

Sod that, I want a guitar solo you say. Okay, we’ve got plenty of those – there’s a pretty good example playing right now in ‘Hey Mr Grey’. In fact there’s only one small gripe and that’s the inclusion of ‘Let The Beauty Be’, which wasn’t listed on the promo cover and sounds a bit like an afterthought. No matter, final track ‘Fix it’ is thrashing away like a mad conductor in a tailcoat and dumps us back down to earth bruised but happy.

Bob is back. Tell your friends.

Track Listing:

01) Low Season
02) Little Glass Pill
03) I Don't Know You Anymore
04) Kid With Crooked Face
05) Nemeses Are Laughing
06) The War
07) Forgiveness
08) Hey Mr. Grey
09) Fire in the City
10) Tomorrow Morning
11) Let the Beauty Be
12) Fix It

First Previous Next Last

Related Links

http://bobmould.com/
http://www.thirdav.com/
https://twitter.com/bobmould
https://www.facebook.com/bobmouldmusic

Commenting On: Beauty and Ruin by Bob Mould

Header

Comment:

Your Name

Your Location ie London, England

tick box before submitting comment

First Previous Next Last

Related Bands (edit)

Related Labels
Beggars Banquet Cooking Vinyl Creation Demon Records Merge Records

Review Header

Fantastic return to form on new solo album from former Husker Du and Sugar front man, Bob Mould

Husker Du:Profile
Dastardly joins the Time Team crew on a dig through the archive of US punk/alt.rock icons Husker Du with 'Savage Young Du', a new three CD box set.

Bob Mould:Brooklyn Bowl, O2 Academy, London, 11/2/2016
Dastardly suffers midlife crisis on way to see Bob Mould at the O2 in London before Mould heals him with his deafening sonic euphoria.

Bob Mould:Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Dastardly writes about his favourite songs by solo artist and ex-Husker Du and Sugar front man Bob Mould in 'Ten Songs That Made Me Love...'

First Previous Next

Articles A-Z
View All				A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Beauty and Ruin - CD
Fantastic return to form on new solo album from former Husker Du and Sugar front man, Bob Mould

Silver Age - CD
Excellent latest solo release from former Hüsker Dü/Sugar front man, Bob Mould

District Line - CD
Energetic dance-influenced guitar pop on latest solo album from former Husker Du and Sugar frontman, Bob Mould

First Previous Next

Reviews A-Z
View All				A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z