Once you’re into the first minute of the CD’s initial song, “Circles”, you can tell that Bob Mould’s experimentation in electronica has paid off in “Body of Song”, his return to a more guitar-oriented rock CD. His voice is actually in front of the music, not lumped in with the screeching guitar chords. There are slight changes in his vocal delivery, whether it’s a low, almost raspy baritone in the low key “Always Tomorrow” or using a voice modulator (think Cher’s “Believe” but not as disco cheesy or irritating) in “(Shine Your) Light Love Hope” and “I Am Vision, I Am Sound)”. And there are some slower and (dare I say) power ballads like “High Fidelity” and “Gauze of Friendship”, which may freak out some longtime Husker Du or Sugar fans but in a good way.

Even though with these new facets, the constants in a Bob Mould song have always been solid song writing and catchy alt-rock hooks and those properties are still intact and flourish with this new release. For example, the first single, “Paralyzed”, a song about a dysfunctional one-sided relationship, is typical in Mould’s ability to craft an upbeat tune about such a downer of an idea. So, for those who are looking to escape the drone of mainstream radio or those who can appreciate an artist truly immersed in his craft, you can’t do any better than “Body of Song”.

You can buy the CD reviewed by clicking on the Amazon link below.

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