BOB MOULD

'District Line'

That's right, bitches...TWO reviews in one day! Alongside the previous post, the upcoming release from one of alt-rock's elder statesmen, Bob Mould, has provided me w/ some great music to ring in the new year.

I think since his last dalliance w/ an actual group effort w/ Sugar, Bob's fans have had a tumultuous love/hate relationship w/ his musical output and, while i've personally enjoyed a large part of it, 'District Line' will probably continue to fan those flames. With the announcement of every new album has come the inevitable foreshadowing of a 'return to form' of earlier work...most of it based more in hopeful prognosticating than fact.

Some early reviews of/e-buzz around the album are tagging it as everything from Sugar-esque to 'Workbook' meets 'Modulate' and those renderings aren't untrue. That said, it's only part of the story and sound. Equal parts of everything he has ever done are combined w/ an obviously more seasoned sensibility in his songwriting...both musically and lyrically.

From the opening track, 'Stupid Now', it's apparent that Bob still knows his way around a hook...if not that he knows it SO well the song borders on being pop. 'Who Needs To Dream' is another successful exercise in that sweeping acoustic/electric interplay and contemplative ballad 'Old Highs, New Lows' retains enough power in it's musicality that it somehow still ends up 'rocking'. Following up the blistering 'Return to Dust' is the lead off single 'The Silence Between Us', that finds that signature Mould-groove about the frailties of relationships peppered w/ angry busts of laser-sharp electric guitar riffing.

The rest of the disc continues the lush Mould arrangements in fine form w/ the only weak spot being the dancey 'Shelter Me'...not a bad tune, just pretty so-so amidst the rest of the more substantial songs on the album. My only other complaint, one that has been made about a lot of recorded work, is that the vocals are often over-modulated unnecessarily and, worse yet, completely buried in the mix...but I get past that more and more w/ each listen.

I enjoyed his last album while a lot of others seemed underwhelmed, the calls of a 'return to form' may have finally come to fruition w/ 'District Line'...even scarier, these songs will probably become even weightier live. Wear some earplugs for the tour in March and until then and the album's official release on 2-Feb, get a taste in the sample area.