Customer Reviews

Body of Song (Deluxe Version) (Bonus CD)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With Body of Song, Bob Mould - arguably one of the most talented singer/songwriter/guitar-heroes of the last twenty years (indie or otherwise) -- has finally found a balance between what he does best (searing guitar indie angst anthems) and where his experiments in sound (as DJ, producer, and electronic artist) have since taken him.

The same themes are here: loss, regret and the urgency of time, but there's also a strong undercurrent of hope, or at least confidence in the wake of loss. And that confidence is bolstered by a kick-butt rhythm section, courtesy of Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty and SUGAR alum, bassist Dave Barbe.

As if meant to act as chemical catalyst to combine all parts of his career, the album begins appropriately enough with "Circles," a thematic and sonic fusion of the best that is Bob Mould. And circles spiral from there, coming back around to remind the listener of the various stages that have led Bob to this point: from Husker Du to his solo work in the early nineties, from SUGAR to Loudbomb and back again. But make no mistake, this is new music. And without abandoning the electronica/dance influences that have obviously become a seminal part of the Bob Mould arsenal, Body of Song rocks.

1) Circles: a slow build. dynamic, hypnotic, and heartbreaking. One of the best tracks from Bob in years.
2) (Shine Your) Light Love Hope: a throw-away dance track at first listen, but one that reveals some interesting guitar work on further plays. Then the entire track gets in your head.
3) Paralyzed: the single, and for good reason. What could easily have been a SUGAR arrangement gets tweaked electronically with one of the better Bob uses of keyboards ever.
4) I am Vision, I am Sound: somewhat repetitive opening becomes an all-out rocker once the rhythm section kicks in.
5) Underneath Days: Darker, angrier Bob that plays well positioned here in the middle of the album. A needed descent.
6) Always Tomorrow: A little muddy and over-produced, but one of those songs that sneaks up on you as you continue to play the album through.
7) Days of Rain: One of those bittersweet Bob love songs that fans will immediately know and love.
8) Best Thing: Could easily be a SUGAR track.
9) High Fidelity: Once you hear the tubular bells and Hammond organ in the arrangement, you know this ain't no Workbook wannabe, but the acoustic base of this ballad is solid.
10) Missing You: From the layered harmonies to the power chords, close your eyes and this IS a SUGAR track. For fans who think Bob has strayed too far into electronica, this is your reminder that the guy can rock.
11) Gauze of Friendship: The closest to an "acoustic" song on the album, and a treat for fans of the simple pleasure of Bob playing guitar while somber strings support him. Reminiscent of "Along the Way" from LDAPS.
12) Beating Heart the Prize: A little weak for a closing track. Still, as would be expected on a Bob Mould album closer, there's some noise, some angst, some length, and some semblance of resolution.

Without even considering Body of Song, Bob Mould has earned his place as indie rock icon. With Body of Song, he reminds us why, pushing his talent forward, making no apology for the often chaotic and at times, disjointed, but nonetheless powerful hybrid that is his signature sound.

I can't begin to give the detail in this review that the other reviewers have, but I'm a mother of two small kids and over the years I have relied on Bob to get me through some tough times with his insistance and his energy and how under your skin his rock and his melody can be. This new CD comes at a tender time in my life. I am certain that listening to it as I have for the past two days has gotten me through the muck and mire of my current world. I only hope I don't over-play it.

Bob rocks. Thank god for Bob.

There have been some glowing reviews for this CD. Entertainment Weekly gave this an A-!! I will buck the trend and say that giving it an A- is putting it on par with Black Sheets of Rain or FUEL (Workbook, Copper Blue and Beaster being A+ material). However, I don't think it really compares to those CDs. I give this CD 3.5 stars, but will round down to 3 to offset the 5 star reviews it has recieved. Here is a review of each song.

(1) Circles - 3 stars - A bit boring and retetitive for an opener, but a good song.
(2) (Shine Your) Love Light Hope - 2 stars - If I never hear that vocal modulation effect again it will be too soon. This song was released early on the internet to whet our appetites. I almost didn't buy the CD because of this song. It becomes marginally better at the bridge, but it still makes me cringe. Boring drums, no hook, just....blah. Cher absolutely ruined me on the voice modulation.
(3) Paralized - 5 stars - Among his best ever. Driving guitar and drums, great chorus. As noted by others, Sugaresque, with slight, non-irritating use of keyboards.
(4) I Am Vision, I Am Sound - 3 stars - Despite a frightening start with (once again) the voice modulation, this song kicks it in gear. Pretty repetitive, though.
(5) Underneath Days - 5 stars - Great, powerful song. Sugaresque.
(6) Always Tomorrow - 3 stars - Interesting song. A trip-hop bass line, driving drums (too much cymbal), distorted guitar, Bob's subdued voice. I don't want to like it, but it's infectious. Again, a bit repetitive.
(7) Days of Rain - 5 stars - Nice, quiet Bob. Great Chorus. Great song.
(8) Best Thing - 2 stars - I can't get into this song. It has no personality. Thankfully, it's short.
(9) High Fidelity - 4 stars - A great song. Quiet, relaxing and...wait, what are those f*****g bells doing there?!? Ahhh!!! Bad Bob!!! No fruit cup for you...and you lose a star.
(10) Missing You - 4 stars - Good song. Very Sugaresque.
(11) Gauze of Friendship - 4 stars - Another good soft song. Reminds me of Can't Fight It from the No Alternative Comp... and a little of Explode and Make Up...with a Black Sheets of Rain vibe.
(12) Beating Heart the Prize - 4 stars - Good song. Is that some voice modulation I hear? I can't quite tell, so I'll give him the benefit of a doubt. Also reminds me of something off of Black Sheets.

Well, now I'm feeling a bit guilty for only giving this 3 stars. There are some real keepers here, and even the songs that only rate a 2 have some redeeming quality about them. I wish I could give this a 3.5. Curse you, Amazon!

I have listened to Bob since the late Husker days. I have seen him perform several times. I consider myself a big fan. I wish I could get into his later releases, but I haven't really enjoyed any cd, as a whole, since FUEL. This CD is a refreshing change from his slump of mediocrity. I hope he continues on this path and stays out of the DJ booth. He is a great guitar player and stage presence, and I have missed him.

No...3 stars does not do this CD justice. I give...4 stars.

As a "return to form," this is rather timid and tepid. Sorry for the loaded adjectives -- I will give its praise before I discuss its shortcomings.

It is definitely reaffirming to hear Bob Mould put out a (mostly) guitar-based album after the debacle of "Modulate." Not that "Modulate" was entirely without merit, but it is not in any way easy to listen to. It seems forced and calculated and aimed at quite a different audience than "Black Sheets of Rain" or "Copper Blue" or "Beaster." Bob had to know his average fan was not much of an electronica listener, after all!

"Body of Song," long rumored to be an all-acoustic project, has been in the works for years. Mould even refered to it indirectly as his "Nick Drake album" on the interview disc included with "Last Dog and Pony Show."

The resulting album is far different -- and not necessarily in a bad way -- than what it was built up as all these years. Face it, if he was not feeling motivated to put out an all acoustic album, it's probably better that he didn't. His stripped down material works best when it has the same passion behind it as his eardrum-shredding electric guitar work. And to it's credit, "Body of Song" has some great acoustic-dominated moments -- most notably "Nihil" on the bonus disc.

The remainder of the electric guitar songs are solid and decently rewarding. One can easily hear the maturity in his singing voice -- and simultaneously miss his old multi-tracked whine and its gripping pathos. "Body of Song's" vocals are clear, up front in the mix, and ever-so-slightly dispassionate. That, and a bit of the production trickery from "Modulate" has lingered -- vocals echo, ping-pong from speaker to speaker, and shimmer drenched in vocoder and other effects.

The bonus disc is well worth owning, often trumping the album itself. "Castor and Pollux" finds Mould marrying his love of electronica and his guitar skills without any of the self-consciousness of "Modulate." "Surveyors and Cranes" could have easily been exchanged for any track on the album proper. But who would have ever imagined the songwriter behind Husker Du's "Erase Today" or Sugar's "JC Auto" penning a sexless disco number like "Love Escalator?"

Where "Last Dog and Pony Show" was confident and assured, Mould seems a little lost in his own element on "Body of Song." If he has in fact forgone his love for the distortion-fueled, emotionally charged electric guitar albums he built a reputation and rabid fan-base on, perhaps he should go for broke and go all electronic from here on out.

"Body of Song" is vastly reassuring, but I can't help fearing that this once incendiary guitarist and songwriter is becoming another Eric Clapton: bland, tired, and enslaved by current technology and musical trends.

For those of you who have had the good fortune of following Bob Mould's career since the early 80's, and have enjoyed all the twist and turns of of his musical life, this album will encompass all of it. Husker, Sugar, accoustic, dance... all here all good. Embrace the diversity. Great Album

Longtime fans of Bob's work won't find anything too surprising here. Some of the electronic textures from "Modulate" pop up - there's a vocoder on "(Shine Your) Light Love Hope" that made me cringe a little, but otherwise the electronics add to and don't distract from the songs. I was one of the few, the proud, the people who liked "Modulate," but I have to admit that this is probably a more successful record. Where that record sought to cram Bob Mould's round songs into a square electronic-dance box, "Body of Song" integrates those sounds into Bob Mould songs - not a step back, exactly, but not quite a step forward either. It's a Bob Mould record, doesn't that say it all? It's not a bolt of lightning, it's not a Husker Du album, it's probably not going to set the world afire; but it does a pretty good job of challenging the idea of what a Bob Mould record is supposed to sound like. This guy has been revered as a guitar god for 20+ years now, and this time around he pushes the vocals way, way up in the mix. Yeah, he can and does play; but pay cloase attention to what he's telling you: he's grown as a singer and lyricist. He's more than a one-dimensional (wildly inspirational, utterly singular) guitar hero, he's a guy who has something to say. Bob Mould hasn't had to prove anything to anyone for quite a long time, and even if this record doesn't stand with his best work, the fact that he's willing to emphasize an aspect of his work that's usually ignored (or at least de-emphasized) is enough to maintain my respect.

I have been a fan since the 80's: being floored by Rolling Stones Album of the Year (1987) "Warehouse Songs and Stories" (Husker Du; "Zen Arcade" is excellent as well) awed by seeing Bob perform "Workbook" and "Copper Blue" (Sugar) live at in The First Avenue (Minneapolis). I really liked his self-titled work as well. I haven't really been impressed with any other of his work, until now. First off, opening the limited edition boxed set struck me dumb, especially since I was once an altar boy (I wonder if Bob was too?) The included art/photography and its arrangement/presentation (subtle and tasteful) sets the overall tone. The music shows us that Bob has put it all together: his past, present, and future. He presents us with this 2-disc magnus opus, a great mixture of songs both reminiscent and new; Bob's truly consummated work, a Body of Song.

There's considerable hoopla in the music press around "Body of Song," and rightfully so, though all this "Bob goes back to loud guitar" stuff isn't entirely accurate. Yes, there's a hell of a lot more guitar on the album than there was on "Modulate," and yes, "Best Thing" and "Missing You" could, indeed, be Sugar tracks. But even those two tracks (and the superbly bitter "Underneath Days") are more about Mould's expressive voice, which is way up front in the album's mix, than about the wall-of-sound guitars that marked Sugar's "Beaster" and the Huskers material it invoked. With "Body of Song," Mould uses guitar for rhythmic wash and texture, as background for the songs, rather than making it the focus of the songs. This works surprising well because....get ready for this....there's actually substantial bass presence in "Body of Song"! I've always hated the way Mould has mixed the bass on his records, making it seemingly as thin and reedy as possible. Here, his immersion in club music hasn't just lent a welcome groove to his songs, but filled out his sound with the deep atmosphere that only bass can provide. This isn't just a matter of synth bass, however; even Dave Barbe's bass (which was generally trebly and thin in Sugar's recordings) resonates beautifully, showcasing Mould's newly-conceived sonic aesthetic. Texture, atmosphere, groove, all enhancing the familiar Mould songwriting style and sharp, layered guitar work, make "Body of Song" a unique addition to Mould's deep catalog -- but still a comfortably referential one for his more recalcitrant/unadventurous old fans. This one stands up there with "Workbook" and "Copper Blue" in terms of how revitalized and confident he sounds in relation both to his sound and his legacy. Really, really good stuff, and much of it will absolutely kill when performed live, I'd suspect.

Speaking of which, if you read these reviews, Bob, how about digging up "Newest Industry" for the tour? It's certainly timely, if not prophetic ("Vietnam was little league compared to where we've been...."); it's got a great hook; "Surveyors and Cranes" (from the second disc that comes with the deluxe edition of "Body of Song" -- I'd highly recommend spending the extra money to get that version of the album, by the way) sounds to me like a sequel to it; and it already depends on atmospheric keyboards (ok, piano) for its overall effect, making it perfect for the new band setup.

Bob Mould has embodied rock's dueling impulses-ugly vs. romantic, closeted vs. out, primal vs. tuneful-as fully as anyone in the 25 years since he launched Hüsker Dü and made hardcore punk sing. Lately, his hermetic electronica experiments have followed up on his involvement in the extroverted drag musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. No new fans need apply here, but those who know and love his sound will find that this self-styled career summation (note title), a nod back to late Hüsker Dü with computerized updates, sprouts horns with repeat listens. Though celebrated for his guitar work, it's the plain and plaintive timbre of his voice that remains most distinctive-gnarled, questioning, hoarse with recrimination. It isn't what he says, it's how he labors it, then releases. Pushing harder than expected, it's the beauty of his unloveliness. Highly remmend it a wonderful cd by a fantastic artist.

This is a true return to form for Bob Mould. The opening track is a classic and the songs from top to bottom glisten with a freshness I haven't heard out of Mr. Mould since Warehouse Songs and Stories.

While there are some techno excursions to be found here, they certainly don't dominate as the flourishes of electric guitar blow in an out of these tunes like never before.

Hopefully, this is a form Bob will continue to create in.