Bob Mould- Patch the Sky (2016)

Bob Mould- Patch the Sky (2016)

By: Ghost Writer

Bob Mould could be a huge pop star any moment he decides it to, Mould has an innate gift for writing incredibly catchy and reflective songs with ease and at will, well, perhaps pop fans are not too much into reflective or introspective songs, but Mould could be a massively popular singer songwriter without much effort, but Mould is kind of a tormented man, a complicated man, he prefers to surround his melodies with abrasive distortion, torturing him by putting himself in the middle of a hurricane of emotions and high volume guitars, and that precisely seems to be what Patch the Sky, his new record is about.

Beginning with Voices in my Head, Patch the Sky sounds less polished than its predecessors Silver Age and Beauty & Rain, in fact the recent death of Mould's mother is a factor definitely playing in the creation of the record adding a darker tone to the one Mould originally wanted for the songs, recorded at Steve Albini's studio, another reason for the record's raw sound.

For The End of Things, Mould indomitable guitar fury is set free, the song undoubtedly goes back to the blistering pop he recorded with Sugar, featuring also the punishing drum work of, Jon Wurster a man who obviously matches Mould explosive delivery in a superb sympathetic way the song also is a strong proof of Mould outstanding ability to conceive long lasting melodies, just check out Hold On a great song that shows some ties to another great 80s underground band like Mould's Husker Du, R.E.M., which makes easy to understand where a band like Nirvana came from.

Few people can make nostalgia an art form the way Mould does, he creates heavy cathartic songs that leave you with the impression that you have heard them before, that you have already felt what Bob's is describing, when in fact that's part of Mould's genius, as he exposes nearly universal emotions in a direct way, just like in the nostalgic You Say You, where Mould combines wisely a memorable melody with soul searching guitars, again showing his uncanny songwriting talent intact from the glory days of Husker Du, anyone longing for that golden age of USA music needs no longer than listen to this song.

The intensity Bob is able to imprint in his music is like a ray of light tearing apart the dark clouds of his lyrics, and that precise effect is felt heavy on Pray for Rain, playing with textures on Lucifer and God and on Black Confetti, or simply going wild on the instrument on Losing Time, based on the pure songwriting behind Patch the Sky, Mould shows to be going thru hard times, and while he is obviously enduring them, is his ability to make music what ends up magnified, making Patch the Sky a record than drive us back to the spirit of the mighty Husker Du.