File Under: Easy Listening

Sugar

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 6, 1994)
• Original Release Date: September 6, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0000009P4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,555 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Label
The ongoing emotional saga of Sugar continues with FU:EL, the power trio's third album and one that bristles with the confidence of a band reaching yet another creative peak. From the adrenalin-charged opening salvo of "Gift" to the moody, emotionally draining farewell of "Explode And Make Up," and the pieces of pop strewn within, Bob Mould's multilayered production brings it all to life with clarity and force.

This third outing of Bob Mould's popcore band has blazed a trail across the alternative landscape, scorching all that it touches. Produced by Mould and recorded in and around Austin, Texas, FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING may not be as harrowing as its predecessor, BEASTER, but it's just as potent. The high-octane opening track, "Gift," and the disc's first single, the appropriately-named pop gem "Your Favorite Thing," find an unusually optimistic Mould looking on the bright side of life....or so it seems. Lurking beneath the bright, metallic guitar sheen, pounding drums, and tuneful vocals is the kind of ominous undercurrent Mould is famous for.

FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING has its fun and playful moments -- the allegorical "Gee Angel" and the satirical "Granny Cool" -- and a few surreal, poetic respites such as "Panama City Motel." But, ultimately, the album deals in the hard-won, cathartic rewards found in heart-wrenching tunes like "Can't Help You Anymore" and "Believe What You're Saying." Mould masterfully interweaves acoustic and electric guitar textures over Barbe and Travis' sturdy rhythmic foundation, until his tortured vocals are engulfed by waves of distorion and stinging lead lines on the final cut, "Explode and Make Up."

In part, the album also reflects Mould's admiration for the "low-tech" underground of bands such as Sebadoh and Guided By Voices. After an abortive attempt to make FU:EL in a large studio (the original tapes were purposely erased by Mould), he returned to Texas and went for a more spontaneous production style. "I learned to stop obsessing over every note," he explained. "Instead I said, what does the guitar sound like in this room? What does my voice sound like singing this song? Great, put it on. What that approach does is to push the song up front." It also makes for an album that may be the warmest-sounding of Sugar's three initial releases.

Exceeding and defying expectations -- something Mould helped teach a generation of punks about in the 80's -- has quickly become one of Sugar's trademarks. If COPPER BLUE was Mould's commercial vindication, and BEASTER a reminder that real artists don't always play by commercial rules, then FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING is proof that with timeless music the two go hand in hand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Vapor Trail, November 9, 2003

By	John Orfield (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sugar shot like a meteor across the musical sky. It burned bright and fast and not many saw it, but the few who did are destined to spend the rest of their days sharing their experience with anyone who will bother to listen. Such was the brief career of Sugar.

After the dynamic COPPER BLUE and the ferocious BEASTER, FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING was a bit of a letdown. Nevertheless, it still has more than its fair share of classic Sugar songs including the poppy "Your Favorite Thing" (which borrows slightly from My Bloody Valentine's "Blown A Wish"), the singalong "Believe What You're Saying," the dramatic "Explode and Make Up," and the clever toetapper "Gee Angel." David Barbe steps up front (for better or worse) with "Company Book," which, if nothing else, did prove once and for all that Sugar was more than "Bob Mould and The Two Other Guys."

Ultimately, though, Sugar will be best remembered for COPPER BLUE and BEASTER and rightfully so. While FU:EL has plenty of pop, it has very little of the conviction and intensity that made those two albums so memorable. In the meteoric career of Sugar, FU:EL was little more than a vapor trail.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a penny used!, November 6, 2003

By	jacktheidiotdunce "weezeridiot" (Racine,WI) - See all my reviews

It's a penny! Well, that's a reason alone to buy this album, but that's beside the point. It's a good pop album with catchy songs from Bob Mould and his 90's band. Songs "Gee Angel", "Favorite Thing", "I Can't Help You Anymore", and the rest of the album are all solid rocking pop songs. If you like Husker Du or Mould's solo stuff and you don't own this. I don't know why. Get it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In short..., April 18, 2002

By	el_abrotsky "el_abrotsky" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

It's not as catchy as "Copper Blue". It's not as intelligent as "Beaster".

But is it good? Yes. Everything Bob Mould does is pretty good and at least worth a glance. I'd put this on the same level as Mould's self-titled album (released right after this). Good stuff. I'd look into (at least) "Copper Blue" and later Husker Du albums first, though.