The buzz created around this album, Mould's third in four years (excluding Blow Off), suggested that this would be a bit special. And that is exactly what it is.
I have liked every Bob Mould album since the early Husker Du days (Sugar's swansong 'F.U.E.L being the one I find most difficult to love)but I think its fair to say this has been a challenging decade for him - although some of the challenges he has admirably created for himself in a bid to not re-tread the same old ground again. 'Modulate' was an interesting experiment in dance-infused terrain which yielded several great songs though didn't quite work as an album (worked amazingly live). 'Body of Song' in 2005 was clearly a labour of love where Bob tried to balance the rock aesthetic, which we all know and love him for, with some of the dance influences he had absorbed since the late 1990's. That was a strong record - about thirty to thirty five minutes of it are just brilliant - but not a Mould masterpiece. Then came 'District Line' last year - the dance edge was almost entirely removed with Bob honing in on the basics and producing his best album so far this decade.
Until Life & Times. The title and cover are both reminiscint of Mould's 1989 classic 1989 release 'Workbook' but he casts his net much wider in terms of tapping into his rich history, alongside infusing some new textures, to generate his most coherent and strongest set of songs since the mid-1990's. So you get little bits of the dark masterpiece 'Bob Mould' in 'Bad Blood Better' and 'Lifetime, some Sugar in 'Spiralling Down' and even a trace of 'Beaster' (still his best work in my view and one of the most powerful thirty minutes ever committed to tape) in 'Wasted World'. It all hangs together wonderfully in a set which is equally energetic and melancholic and powerful. The whole thing sounds fresh and crisp and, clocking in at just 36 minutes, concise.
I bought this last week and have played it umpteen times already. If you are reading this contemplating whether to buy it, I strongly urge you to hit the buy with one click button right now. Hell, get it express delivered while you are at it.