Life and Times
Exactly 20 years after releasing his brilliant solo debut, *Workbook*, Bob Mould summons his original indie-rocker voice — with great reward — on his ninth solo outing, *Life and Times*, on which he is joined by Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster. From the first acoustic guitar plinking of the title track, you sense that he’s done (at least for now) with melding his affection for dance-club music with guitar rock; on last year’s *District Line*, he continued toying with reverb and vocoder manipulation, but there’s nary a hint of it here. The title track is a stunner, building palpable tension and shifting from the soft to the loud before you notice: “Somehow you’re getting into my thoughts,” he muses, and he’s not happy about it. The set is perfectly paced, with rockers like “MM 17” and “Argos” interspersed with powerfully moody tracks like “The Breach” and “Bad Blood Better.” The grit and howl of “Spiraling Down” matches the needle-in-the-red levels of Hüsker Dü, and the single, “I’m Sorry, Baby ...” is pure heartwrenching break-up balladry. With scorching guitar work and Mould’s familiar, warm growl present throughout, one feels like an old friend is back; there’s not a bone to pick here.
While it's unfair to saddle Bob Mould with the same ol' "best album since..." cross, Life and Times does manage to reflect each facet of his career.
The timing of Bob Mould’s Life And Times is no coincidence: Twenty years ago this month, Mould released his seminal solo debut, Workbook. The world knew him from the decidedly loud, angsty Hüsker Dü, but Workbook showed he could excel as a quieter, more contemplative singer-songwriter.
Discover Life and Times by Bob Mould released in 2009. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
<p>It's the work of a skilled songwriter comfortable in his own skin and canon, says <strong>Dan Silver</strong></p>
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