- post #84
I missed the chance to do anything particularly special for '76 or '77 (the latter was My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, ?) which is a bit of a shame considering what kind of a blog this is.
Of course, '84 as in 1984 has its significance in a literal sense (Orwell) and I could work in the awesomeness of the eponymous Californian montage artist Winston Smith, and post some Dead Kennedys or Green Day's Insomniac. (Hey, that sounds like a pretty good idea - unfortunately, it's not on the schedule) However, 84 is quite significant in music terms as - to pick one example -the year of Husker Du's double album Zen Arcade. This isn't anywhere near as good as that, but it's pretty good nonetheless, and it is Bob Mould.
To borrow a non sequitur from the Clash:
eighty four... four... four...
___________________________________
"There were trails of fallen trees,
deciduous and [?]
the lowland birds and crickets roared, the final sounds of fall
along the banks of the river we approached the footbridge
entering the wilderness, following my footsteps..."
I really like this stage-quiet pastoral intro to 'The Silence Between Us'; and then, it's the point at which - pretty much - the big Sugar guitars kick in. It's a good, short and loud pop song although at least one person thinks we should be asking for more:
"If this track came from any other artist, people would dismiss it as the hacky, watered-down Foo Fighters bite it really is. Quicker than you can say Candy Apple Grey. But because it is “Bob Mould,” critics and fans seem to be hailing this twaddle as the Hüsker Düde’s comeback to his guitar-rock roots. In truth, “The Silence Between Us” hardly holds a votive to anything Mould has accomplished in his 20-odd-year career. Perhaps this tragic turn into Daughtry-esque tribal tattoo rock is the residual fallout of from hearing ring-entrance music during his tenure as a WCW scriptwriter a few years back. Hey, at the very least, this tune could make a great theme for the Batista montage!"
(Paper Thin Walls: Single Review; with a response from I Rock Cleveland)
Bob Mould - 'The Silence Between Us' (vinyl rip)
The b-side is a live version of 'If I Can't Change Your Mind'.
2 comments:
This is the Bob Mould I love to hear. It reminds me of that passion and splendor that came from the first Sugar album, which was the soundtrack for my entire college experience.
I don't think I could listen to that album for that long (and I'm only doing a three year degree!). But yes, Copper Blue is a great album.
I actually heard Body of Song when it came out (2005), before I heard Sugar, although I knew Husker Du already of course by then. It means I'm coming at the 'return to form' of Sugar argument from a different direction.
I've told other people this before, but on the Brendan Canty Burn To Shine DC music DVD, there's a great solo acoustic performance by Bob Mould of 'Hoover Dam'. Sounds quite different without the electronics, but he still puts so much heart into it. It's not on YouTube as far as I know, so if I wanted to show it I'd have to rip myself and I don't know how to do that with video (or, get someone else to do it for me). It's a great DVD.
Post a Comment