Congratulations to veteran "alternative" rock star Bob Mould for blowing me in the year 2005 with his amazing recording, Body of Song. Around the time he released his last record, Modulate, I saw him perform at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Oregon. This performance basically consisted of Mould playing his guitar over pre-recorded electronic loops and samples. Unfortunately, his guitar playing didn't mesh well with the samples, making for a slightly awkward-sounding performance. Songs written for Modulate sounded much better on record, but, unfortunately, these songs didn't translate well in the live experience. Nonetheless, the mere fact that, at that time, I was finally eyewitnessing Mould, a historical fixture in the 80s' Minneapolis music scene, in the flesh for the first time. Editor's note: I was 11 when Zen Arcade came out, and besides, I was obsessed with Prince's Purple Rain at the time.
Moving forward to 2005, despite my disappointment with Modulate, I still eagerly anticipated the eminent release of Body of Song. This record marks the triumphant return of the Bob Mould that I've known and loved over the last decade or so. Every track on Body of Song is strong. In particular, the track Underneath Days made me convinced that Bob Mould was reading my mind. The lyrics perfected matched my frustration with the romantic situation I was going through at the time. How did he do it? I have no idea.
Again, I jumped at the opportunity to see Mould live here in Seattle at Neumos, buying my ticket within days after the show was announced. My wish for a better sonic experience with Mould proved beyond fruitful, especially when he brought along hottie singer/songwriter Richard Morel (engineer for the dynamic DJ titans Deep Dish) on keyboards for the ride. The live set was a sonic tour-de-force, harkening back to what I envisioned a classic Husker Du show would sound like (again I was a musically-clueless young boy during the heyday of Husker Du). Mould's set consisted of Mould solo tracks, classic Sugar gems, and even a foray into Husker territory with such classics as Could You Be The One and Chartered Trips. Unfortunately, I vacated Neumo's during the second encore (so I can catch the last ghetto bus ride back to, well, the ghetto, Rainier Beach).
All in all, 2005 was, without a doubt, Bob Mould's year. In a concert setting, he is at the top of his game. In spirit, he's come into his own, open in his sexual identity, and confident in his step. Not to mention, his blog, Modulate, is a gay blogger's wet dream in written form. I look forward to his upcoming acoustic show in February (on my mom's birthday), which I am sure will prove to be stellar. Regardless of how the music sounds, I am all for gawking in a "I have a crush on you, but not in the vein of The Jets" manner. One thing is for sure, musically, Bob Mould is far superior to those godawful, one-hit wonder Minneapolis pop schlocksters The Jets any day of the week.
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