Bob Mould is, without a doubt, my favorite musician. I would buy anything he put out without needing to listen to it. He could put out an album of yodeling operatic Irish dirges with Hansen, and I’d be there.
I just picked-up his latest album, Modulate, a week-and-a-half ago. It is a half-electronic album that is relatively sparing on the guitar that he’s known for. The album isn’t bad, it just took some getting used to for me.
In June, he’s releasing an all-electronic album, to be followed-up by a guitar-based album in the fall. Anyone else out there have an opinion on this turn of styles? Anyone else going to see him on this tour?
Bob Mould is God. I have worshipped him since freshman year of college. Once drove eight hours to see an acoustic show of his.
I haven’t gotten around to Modulate yet, but I wasn’t put off by the electronic textures of Dog and Pony. Well, “Megamanic” was a piece of garbage, but the weird clanking and buzzing of “Reflecting Pool” provided an interesting diversion, and “First Drag Of The Day” included some pleasantly industrial-ish noises.
I’ll have to see how I will feel about an album completely given over to electronics. For my money, as long as that hoarse howl and candycore guitar rush makes up the guts of the song, it doesn’t matter if he embroiders the edges with other styles.
The only tour date I saw in the Bay Area is on a day I can’t make it. That’s too bad. I wonder if he will once again have Michael Cerveris playing rhythm guitar for him. Cerveris, for you 1980s TV fans, played Ian in the latter years of “Fame.”
As much as I worship and adore Bob Mould, I’m having a little trouble getting into Modulate. At times it sounds to me like dance music and other times like he’s trying to be Radiohead. I keep listening to it, though, in hopes I’ll find a deeper appreciation for it like I’ve done with some of his other works.
I’ve seen him three times so far, each time amazing, even when the mixing was terrible. The last time (for Dog and Pony) it was in Chicago and he talked a lot about his new turn of life: he quit smoking, got in shape, and was getting more interested in electronic possibilities of music. He played some stuff he was working on, and after a piece somebody shouted: “Fck electronic music!" At which point Bob looked over and shouted: "Well fck you!” It was damned funny.
I am looking forward to his lyric-heavy guitar-based album that is expected in the fall. At the encore of the Chicago show, he played a new song that was far and away the most emotionally moving live experience I’ve ever had. Too bad I can’t remember any of the lyrics, but I’m crossing my fingers it’s on that album…
But I am going to see his show next Friday!!! Damn I’m excited. It won’t be very crowded because there’s at least three other decent shows in town that night (is this really St. Louis?), so I’m hoping it’s intimate. If you like, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Discovered Husker Du in 11th grade and I have been a fan ever since. Saw him on the Black Sheets of Rain tour.
Sugar – they are ok and have written some really good songs (a lot of them on the Beaster EP. But for the most part I don’t find them very interesting. It pains me, because I love Husker and his two post-Husker, Pre-Sugar solo albums. I think he has released a few albums since Sugar’s demise but I havent heard any of them. I did read a review of the new electronic album he did, that was a surprise.
He’s coming here in about three weeks. I’m thinking of going.
Yes, please tell me how the show turns out. He’s coming to D.C. in mid-April and I will go see him, but I want to know what to expect. From what I’ve read, the second half of the show will be all guitar and what he termed his, “greatest hits.” Enjoy the show!
I don’t feel too bad about missing Bob’s show out here. I checked on his Web site, and it’s pretty much going to be him and a bunch of electronic gear. I have no desire to go see Kraftwerk.
I did finally listen to Modulate. I doubt it will ever become my favorite Bob Mould album. But I honestly did tap my toes more often than I would have guessed that I would. I wish he’d hire a live drummer for the rock tracks. If he wants to use programmed beats on the loop-and-sample based stuff, fine, that’s par for the course. But when he wants to rock, the mechanical stiffness really undercuts his momentum. This is what made Hubcap a rather unsatisfying album.
Hey, **Snooooopy ** ! I just got done talking to you about tits! Small world…
Ahh…the first twenty seconds of *New Day Rising * changed my life!
Anyway, I’m working my way into *Modulate * also. I first heard what Bob was planning last year, so I was well prepared for what he was going to give us. Bob is such an incredibly strong songwriter and damn near anything he records is worth listening to, but I do think it might have been better if he *had * gone for a more minimalistic Radiohead-like approach to the electronic stuff. I think Bob could do great stuff with that spooky John Carpenter-ish electric piano thing.
I dunno… it may have something to do with the fact that Neofishboy don’t dance…
Actually he was *writing * for wrestling, which is even weirder…
I really liked his first and second solo albums. The third didn’t really do anything for me. Neither did Husker Du, alas. I really enjoyed the first Sugar album and couldn’t believe the same band did the bland, lifeless second album.
As for this new electronic venture, I can’t imagine someone looking out at the current musical landscape and deciding what it needs is yet another guy doing electronic music. At least Bob has a strong powerful voice, so it won’t just be some guy tunelessly warbling over bleep-bllops like seems to be the rage these days.
Took me a while to get my computer back up to snuff, but…
I’m already a confessed Bob Mould adorer, so you may want to keep that in mind, but the show was fantastic!
The venue in St. Louis wasn’t great and for some godforsaken reason the audience refused to stand up through most of it (I couldn’t resist and had to stand up halfway through), but it was a fun show. Bob stood the whole time and had two big screens behind him running constantly with videos he created (the theme being Carnival of Light and Sound and all…). They were pretty funky and mostly went great with his songs.
So, like all his other shows, it was just him and his guitar, but this time he had a lot of backing tracks with drums and bass and various instrumentation. To me that made it feel a little less spontaneous, but he was still pretty intense. In fact, he seemed to be performing solely for his own (tremendous) enjoyment. At one point he opened his eyes after a song and seemed surprised that he got such a warm reception.
The set list was a pretty good mix of everything he’s done, starting with four or five tracks from the new album. Listening to the songs live gave me a whole new appreciation for them. They really open up and become passionate, whereas I think the new album feels too restrained. But then he went into ‘Hoover Dam’, ‘Brasilia Crossed With Trenton’, and ‘Your Favorite Thing’; how could anyone resist him? He even closed with ‘Celebrated Summer’.
I heard that the show in Columbia the next night was more intimate (smaller venue) and that he stood around shaking hands after the show. Wish I could have seen that one too. In any case, for fans of Bob, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the show. I bet it gets even better as the tour goes on.