April 4, 2009

Album Review: Bob Mould
Bob Mould Tickets

Life And Times

6 / 10 Facts about this album:
* Bob Mould was formerly frontman of cult US bands Husker Du and Sugar.
* 'Life And Times' is his ninth solo album.

Album review:
Nine solo albums in and former Hüsker Dü man Bob Mould is now rumbling along meekly: the socially reformed hardcore superstar armed with as much studio time as he likes and an array of ponytailed minstrels pressing buttons for him. Oh, what we'd give to hear a version of 'Life
And Times' spewing sounds that let rip like a million distorted six-string chainsaws (or, effectively, 'New Day Rising'). Obviously, with that particular tune nearly 25-years old, it's not really surprising that the merits of yore are nowhere to be seen. The truth is -
and if Mould was in the room we'd whisper this, because we do love
Hüsker Dü, we do - 'Life And Times' is unchallenging pap. But it's furnished with the odd line of lyrical craftiness and melodies that, on the whole, manage to keep the stabilisers on his career because (as always) they make the seemingly untenable emotions of their writer sound tolerable. What's best about it is that there's just about enough magic to make you wanna dig out those old Hüsker records and play 'em again: LOUD AND PROUD!

Matt Wilkinson

More on this artist:
Bob Mould NME Artist Page
Bob Mould website