Bob Mould still sings like he thinks his songs can save the world. And in 2020, he might be right. These songs here on Blue Hearts, his newest album, out today via Merge Records, are some of his most ferocious in ages, and they're offered up with renewed energy given how shitty things are in this country right now. It's not that Bob's making topical music, but that his usual urgency is now more apparent. And more a thing to be welcomed eagerly.
While the sonically-lighter "Heart on My Sleeve" and the rougher "Everything to Me" are concerned with the personal, some material here is informed by the current situation in this plague-ridden, wannabe despot-ruled country. "American Crisis" is, obviously, a response to the state of this nation with a madman at the helm, while "Next Generation" ponders the burden being passed on to those in the future. But in highlighting the shifting difference in lyrical focus among the tracks here, a reviewer runs the risk of making Blue Hearts sound schizophrenic when the reality is the exact opposite.
Bob Mould, with help from bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster, burns through every number here with the same kind of fervor regardless of the track's focus, and the overall effect is one that inspires, whether Bob's worried about the political situation or his personal one. "Little Pieces" rages as if the singer is falling apart only to end on a re-affirmation that "I find little pieces of myself each day". In a way, the construction here mirrors a number like "Celebrated Summer", even as the glorious "Siberian Butterfly" churns and pops with the kind of energy lots of the best Sugar songs had. Still, Bob's on fire here so Blue Hearts stands on its own in many ways, and just simply comparing this to past glories is to likely to diminish praise of the considerable glory (and power) on display here. "Blue Hearts" is a mini-masterpiece on its own terms.
Blue Hearts is out today via Merge Records.
More details on Bob Mould via the official website.
[Photo: Blake Little]