Bob Mould

Life And Times

[3/5]



Two decades after his solo debut, Workbook, former Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould has made his most straightforward album yet. Stripped of the electronics that had crept into recent releases, the simple, muscular rock and folk are matched in directness by lyrics that keep returning to troubled relationships, and risk the occasional awkward line to make their point. The shading is provided by a cloud of melancholy that drifts through even roaring numbers like “City Lights (Days Go By)”; only “Argos,” two minutes of libidinous punk suggesting the Dü led by an out-of-the-closet Mould, is unaffected. The collection is a notch below last year’s richer, more varied District Line, but there’s one clear standout: “I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Any More,” a sadly strummed sing-along for anyone who’s ever been betrayed. (ANTI-; anti.com) Dan LeRoy