Spinning: Bob Mould - Patch The Sky

The solo records of veteran Bob Mould were over shadowed for a long time by the monuments he built with Hüsker Dü. It wasn't that his solo work was bad, but they couldn't measure up with the impact and energy the legendary rock band played in those days. Mould turned out to be a master at writing righteous songs where he transformed his anger and outrage into walls of guitar. But on 2014's Beauty & Ruin he proved again to be able to let his guitar speak and capable of writing powerful songs. Convincingly he continuous down this line on Patch The Sky that holds mostly explosive and hard rocking punk songs.

Good examples are the fierce 'End Of Things' or a typical punk son 'Hands Are Tied' that, because of its short running time, has a huge impact. All songs have that unmistakable Bob Mould signature, where his loud but not too heavy guitar riffs and hooks build a sturdy foundation for the uptempo songs. This is cast into some extra concrete by the tight and solid rhythm section consisting of drummer John Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy. It puts a song like 'Losing Time' in the right gear and makes the mostly acoustic 'Losing Time' still sound very groovy.

Like always the heavy songs are a bit of misleading vehicles for Mould's deeper lyrics. Again he is digging deep into his soul and is turning everything inside out without shying away from themes like insecurity and suicide. It is praiseworthy that he is not afraid of showing his emotions and revealing himself completely. Only in the heavy and slow 'Black Confetti' and the melancholic closer 'Monument' it is clear right away that these aren't light tunes. It is striking how inspired Mould always sounds and how refreshing this makes the record.

In the same way as other veterans like Iggy Pop and Nick Cave, it seems there's a lot we can expect from the old Hüsker Dü front man. Patch The Sky may even be his best solo work so far and reminds now and then of his heyday. Only this time he is a heavy-duty experienced musician with a long life behind him with many ups and downs. Fortunately he still doesn't hide himself behind his powerful guitar play, but shares his mind without problems with anyone willing to listen.



This review has been published on Festivalinfo in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Patch The Sky' on Spotify.



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New Sounds: Bob Mould - Patch The Sky

Bob Mould's Hüsker Dü and Sugar days are long gone by and he has been working on an impressive solo career since then. Patch The Sky is his twelfth solo album which will come out March 25. You can listen to it below.

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Bob Mould Is Looking Back And Forward

This year rock icon Bob Mould released his new solo album Beauty and Ruin, which shows a vivid Mould reminding us of his glory days with Hüsker Dü. In support of this new album he is touring around the club circuit and fortunately wasn't skipping Amsterdam. Time to pay him a visit.

Bob Mould at Paradiso Tolhuistuin Amsterdam, November 10 2014



The big backdrop is showing the cover of his new album, the combined pictures of a young and old Bob Mould, a big chunk of music history between them. Mould kicks off with his younger version, playing Hüsker Dü's 'Flip Your Wig' and 'Hate Paper Doll' back to back. A flying start to the liking of the fans tonight in the almost full venue. It immediately fires up the steamroller that is unleashed upon us by him and his loud, ruthless but very tight band.



Since the rock veteran proves to be in great shape and doesn't like to hold back. It doesn't take long before his glasses are foggy giving him a bit of a silly look from time to time. With his somewhat uncontrolled moves around the stage he doesn't exactly look like a big rock star, but that isn't something he's after. He's more like the anti-hero that left his marks in music history, because you can clearly hear where bands like Pixies and Foo Fighters are coming from.



And exactly that's what's Mould is giving us, a history lesson in rock music, with half of the set comprising of Hüsker Dü and Sugar songs. But his solo work, songs like 'The War' and 'Hey Mr. Grey', fits in their seamlessly, carrying the same energy and drive, exposing the same power. Although the themes of many songs aren't all that cheerful, tonight definitely is. Mould looks like he's enjoying it a lot, chatting to the crowd once and a while, but doesn't waste any time. Because, according to him, we have to catch the last boat from North Amsterdam to the town's center. Apparently he didn't know the ferry keeps running all night long. After the regular set he comes back for some more, knocking out two more songs of the legendary Hüsker Dü, finishing off with 'Chartered Trips', underlining once more where it all started.



More Pictures

Setlist:
01. Flip Your Wig
02. Hate Paper Doll
03. Hoover Dam
04. Star Machine
05. The Descent
06. I Don't Know You Anymore
07. Little Glass Pill
08. Kid With Crooked Face
09. Helpless
10. Nemeses Are Laughing
11. The War
12. Hardly Getting Over It
13. Keep Believing
14. Fire in the City
15. If I Can't Change Your Mind
16. Hey Mr. Grey
17. Tomorrow Morning
18. Divide And Conquer
19. Something I Learned Today
20. In A Free Land
Encore:
21. Makes No Sense at All
22. Chartered Trips


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Bob Mould's Still Got It

After the legendary Hüsker Dü in the eighties and Sugar beginning of the nineties, Bob Mould started a solo career. By then the sound he had created was successfully being copied by many bands and his solo records didn't stick out that much. But Mould keeps expanding his discography and now adds Beauty & Ruin to it.

Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)

On the new album he's staying loyal to his own sound and qualities like always. Twelve short and compact songs result in an intense record, that show that the master's still got it. Mould even sounds inspired on Beauty & Ruin and a song like 'Little Glass Pill' sounds loud, intense and convincing, as does the two minute song 'Hey Mr. Grey'. As usual these aren't carefree light songs, but sharp tracks where Mould sings about life's uncertainties and broken dreams. His mostly dark lyrics are often spot on: "my map of failure covers every inch of skin, I want to carve it clean where do I begin?" he's wondering in 'Kid With Crooked Face'.

Because of the record's production the sound is full and builds a wall of guitar. Together with the intense songs it makes this record never hard to swallow, despite the quite hard-faced content. It makes a song like 'The War', which is about a long heavy battle between two people, less heavy on the mind and it sounds more hopeful than you would get from the lyrics.

It's nice to conclude that Mould hasn't lost his touch. Maybe it comes to a surprise to some people, that he doesn't sound like Foo Fighters, but it's actually Dave Grohl who's eagerly borrowing from him, without ever making a secret out of it though. Grohl always said Hüsker Dü is one of his biggest inspirations. With Beauty & Ruin Mould once again proves he's able to make this kind of intense rock music like no one else can. Hopefully he can keep inspiring new generations of rock bands and urge them to great deeds.



This review has been published on Festivalinfo in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Beauty & Ruin' on Spotify.



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