Blue Hearts
Merge, 2020
10/10
After releasing one of his most melodic records in years, maybe decades, Bob Mould returns with some very understandable rage on the appropriately titled Blue Hearts, where his longtime band Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster help him fire out a healthy batch of well timed protest songs.
Mould starts the listen with the raw acoustic strummer “Heart On My Sleeve”, where the icon references climate and war in the political opening, and the bright and loud “Next Generation” follows with the buzzing guitars and fiery rhythm section that’s characterized most of his recent work. Mould’s vocals are biting but tuneful, as the swirling atmosphere certainly lets his punk roots come through.
One of his longest albums in recent years, across 14 tracks the quality of songwriting never wanes, including the shouting punk rock grit of “American Crisis”, as well as the personal “Everything To You”, where Mould’s forthright wordplay aligns with soaring rock that parallels the greatness he achieved with Sugar. “Racing To The End”, at under 2 minutes, then takes us back to Mould’s work in the ‘80s, though with much better production.
Deeper cuts offer us the always proficient drumming of Wurster on the angular and sometimes softer “Little Pieces”, while the guitar acrobatics of “Password To My Soul” is certainly not short on energy or charged melody. “The Ocean” exits the listen and is initially the most gentle selection, before building into a finish that is pure power and control.
If you’ve been a fan of any of Mould’s previous bands, you’re in luck, as there are certainly traces of those outfits here in both the brief fury and swells of sonic rock. At is core, however, Blue Hearts is a punk rock record, one that’s angry and direct, but also with intimate moments of eloquence, and it just might be the best album of 2020.
Travels well with: The Persian Leaps- Bicycle Face; Porcupine- What You’ve Heard isn’t Real