Bob Mould is probably one of my favourite musicians ever. It's funny though, I seem like more of a casual fan of his work. I'm happy to sample his work here and there and don't collect it obsessively like I do with the Elvis Costello back catalogue. Mould has a sense of what makes a great pop song, but also knows what it takes to truly destroy a song with fuzzed out, over-distorted guitar. He's truly a multi-dimensional musician.
Back in the 80s, Mould was the lead singer for the seminal post-punk/hardcore band Husker Du. After that band broke up in the mid 80s, Mould tried his hand at a solo career, releasing two solo albums for Virgin (most notably, the mostly acoustic Workbook in 1988, still an amazing album). But, the lure of being in a band was strong for Mould, and he formed the band Sugar with David Barbe and Malcolm Travis. The band only put out two full lengths, Copper Blue in 1992 and File Under: Easy Listening in 1994, with an EP called Beaster filling the gap in 1993, then a posthumous double disk b-sides collection called, appropriately, Besides. All the albums came out on the Rykodisc label.
Sugar was largely Mould's reaction to grunge. While Sugar was chunky and growling like grunge, it had Mould's penchant for pop melodies that grunge lacked. Copper Blue is a near perfect slab of pop-tinged rock, tinged with punk's fury. "Helpless" was the lead off single, a smooth but snarling power pop gem. Mould crafted soaring pop tunes like "Hoover Dam", and the plaintive "If I Can't Change You're Mind", along with more menacing tunes like "The Slim". Copper Blue is easily in my top 10 albums released in the 90s, and I consider it one of the most important album released in the 90s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUf1sObmhr8
The follow up EP Beaster was a very different animal, if you excuse the pun there, from Copper Blue. just 6 songs long, the EP weaved a vague narrative of a world dominated by the religious right, with grinding Husker Du style guitars behind it. The single "Tilted" was pretty representative of the sound here:
http://youtu.be/0H0bNt9_Znw
File Under: Easy Listening was a stab at a more polished sound, with more shimmering pop tunes with less of a punk edge. The album is less enjoyable than Copper Blue and seems to lack a bit of the fire that's usually in Mould's belly. Several songs are worth the time to listen to though, including the whimsical "Gee Angel" and the more acoustic "Believe What You're Saying".
http://youtu.be/RPT251GNbBI
Sugar broke up soon after FU: EL and Mould was back at his solo career, which continues on to this day. He's released many great albums under his own name, espeically 2008's District Line. Sugar finished up with Besides, a two disc compilation of rarities and live takes.
Merge Records have lately been a home to many of the great of the 90s indy rock explosion. They've remastered and re-released both Sugar full lengths, tacking Beaster onto Copper Blue, and including many of the better songs from Besides with the discs as well. Check them out for a great look at a band that deserves a bit more time in the limelight. Mould's latest solo effort, Silver Age, is out in October on Merge.
http://youtu.be/dDnNr6lNxvc
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