Album Review: Bob Mould - Silver Age

Bob Mould
Silver Age
Rating: Grrrr

Bob Mould's latest record Silver Age shows him in fine form once again, and putting out his most confident set of tracks since his work with Sugar. Foregoing the somber musings of his early solo output and his more recent forays into electronica, Silver Age is primarily 10 smoking hard edged pop tracks that are a smack down to all that have drawn influence from the master, from elder statesman like Foo Fighters and Green Day, down to new upstarts like No Age, Cloud Nothings, and Japandroids, showing who the real boss is. There is almost no fat on these tracks, getting the point quickly and directly, hooky as hell, as simply full of energy.

From the dark, driving opener "Star Machine,"



blistering title track "Silver Age," and through first single "The Descent,"



the album starts off strongly and rarely falters. Tracks like "Fugue State" and "Briefest Moment" carry a dark, melodious edge to them, that never gets heavy-handed or morose, focusing solely on the hook. The only songs that tend to slow the proceedings down are tracks like the mid-tempo squall of "Steam of Hercules," and bland rocker "Angels Rearrange."

But when Mould turns back to the harder edged, more pulsing tracks, Silver Age really kicks off. Rough and ready "Keep Believing" storms out of the gates, while "Round the City Square" sounds like a punkier, early R.E.M. While the final track "First Time Joy" feels like it wants to take things out on a more subdued note, it builds into an insistent guitar driven attack with subtle keyboard accents and a gorgeously restrained vocal from Mould.

While Silver Age could do with a broader palate at times (too many of the tracks utilize a similar guitar haze), the sheer power of the hooks and the joy in which Mould attacks them is simply too strong for it to matter much. After coming out publicly, writing his memoir, curating the re-release of the Sugar records, Mould is easing into middle age with a new found passion for his music. Let's hope Silver Age is merely the beginning of a new phase in Mould's storied career.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.