Merge (2020)
Bob Mould has been nothing if not remarkably consistent since releasing 2012's The Silver Age. Since that time he has cranked out four more albums of good, crunchy, Sugar-style guitar rock. I've loved all of those records, but the only one that has had real staying power with me has been The Silver Age. I can't really explain it, but that's the one that keeps standing out.
I'm unsure where Blue Hearts will settle in when all is said and done. I'm sure listening to it a lot right now and I do love it. It's got the great aggressive pop sound that Mould is known for. His loud roaring guitars, his strained vocals and lyrics full of piss and vinegar. It's fucking great. But, I have really liked all of his recent records and they all have fallen into a similar pattern. I play them a lot for a couple of months, I put them into the record collection and then they just sort of hang out there. When I'm in the mood to listen to Bob Mould, I tend to just keep going back to the Silver Age or Sugar's File Under Easy Listening.
It's nothing against those other records, but when you have an album so strong, it can dominate over the rest of your discography. For me, ultimately time will tell how I end up ranking Blue Hearts against the others. Maybe this will be one I keep going back to or maybe it's a record that I'll play a ton now only to have it fade gracefully into the background. It doesn't really matter to me either way, Bob Mould puts out great records and I'm happy to buy as many as he releases, even if they end up not being in permanent heavy rotation.
Bob Mould - Blue Hearts:
https://bobmould.bandcamp.com/album/blue-hearts
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