Our (fairly) regular roundup of Music & Arts related news from Chicago-based web media, featuring thoughts and insight from some of the city’s most dedicated writers.
- Uncle Bob does it again
Defiantly riding the third (or fourth, if you count Sugar) high of his post-Hüskers career, curmudgeonly but ever-lovable ol’ Bob Mould continues the melodic adrenaline rush of 2012’s outstanding Silver Age on the new Beauty & Ruin, his 11th solo album. Once again fronting the powerful but empathetic rhythm section of drummer Jon Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy, the theme for the 53-year-old guitarist and vocalist still is raging against the dying of the light, though he intends a more specific arc of three sections here, portraying his movement from pain to reflection to acceptance following the death of his father, with whom he had a troubled relationship. If it doesn’t quite match the brilliance of his last outing, that’s only because there’s a little more drone and a little less melody (Bob’s roar is always most effective when it’s balanced by those sweet hooks) and, not surprisingly, a little less humor in the lyrics this time around. But standouts like “Hey Mr. Grey” and “I Don’t Know You Anymore” rank with his very best.
Bob Mould, Beauty & Ruin (Merge)
Rating on the four-star scale: 3.5 stars.
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@JimDeRogatis, join me on Facebook, and podcast Sound Opinions and Jim + Carmel’s TV + Dinner. - Write Club Concludes For The Summer With A Crash, A Kick And Butter
This much-lauded monthly write fight squares six writers against each other, broken into three rounds and each author tackling a topic. Literary fisticuffs ensue. [ more › ]
- Wednesday Afternoon Diversion: Bad Romance
If we were this fierce at that age, you’d better believe we’d have been doing more than dancing at a birthday party.
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