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Rating: Bob Mould continues on his path, having become a powerful rock singer-songwriter, a relic for the most renowned artists of the nineties, a cult artist (they call you that when you're no longer in the chart). The recipe for this work dated 1998 is still the usual one: homemade ingredients, intellectual honesty (Alec Empire would call it "Intelligence And Sacrifice") and a superior (compared to the average) level of inspiration, that thing that should elevate the destiny of a man above that of others, and it does, but in reverse.
To demonstrate that Bob has a very high compositional talent, just consider the initial triad. Tell me what would have happened if the opening track "New #1" had been by the Cranberries in '98. And if it were by today’s Green Day, the ones singing old rock songs from forty years ago with contemporary touches? Following is "Moving Trucks", a delicate but not trivial rock song in its melodies, punk in the rhythm. Nothing is more enjoyable and adolescent than what is played by an adult nostalgic for youth. +44, Ataris, and company: learn for a lifetime. And what about "Taking Everything"? A piece entirely in chorus with repetitive verses riding on a riff that may not be world-ending but leads to a spectacular chorus?
This trio probably equals, I won’t say the entire discography, but the life of Ataris (but why are they always on the tip of my tongue?) and company... The joy of being punk and having brushed with death in more than one instance is found near the end, in the penultimate "Reflecting Pool", while in the final track Bob relies on the well-known play of viola-acoustic guitars. In the middle, a couple of old-fashioned punk songs, a nice mid-tempo paced game played on the ups and downs of a single riff, and a nice track titled "Who Was Around", with slow and arpeggiated verses (the best part) that step aside to make room for an electrified chorus.
Then two ballads: "Skintrade", electric from start to finish (and with a great solo by Bob), and "Vaporub" (the stuff for a runny nose?!), more traditional and semi-acoustic; both demonstrate that Bob, even in the most cheeky episodes, is still a gentleman composer. Special mention for the offbeat "Megamanic", a spoken word almost on the verge of rap, amidst chill-out loops, almost industrial samples, and those "megamega, megamega" coming from all directions. Perhaps a forerunner of the Mould who is now appreciated as a rock DJ, and of his dance album "Modulate" from 2002.
If it's inspiration that you're looking for in the man, in Mould's discography, you'll find (and other artists have found) as much as you want. If it's inspiration (and the ability to use it) that you think should have the power to grant luck and fame (and peace) to those who have it, I believe you better come to terms with it: it's more likely to be precisely the opposite.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
05 Classifieds (03:03)
Look through the classifieds, maybe I'll find a friend who cares
(Decent and true, but my interests are few)
How would I reply? Start with "I've never done this before"
And all the chains that bind, you might find they're just threads that float around
It's fun to fantasize through someone else's eyes
Every week, I read the advertisements from start to end
(Stable, mature, but a little unsure)
What I am I looking for? #340's in here again
Like the characters portrayed in a play no one ever stops to read
I have to say that this all seems strange to me
It's not that different from my life
Condense it down into five lines
Now I know the reason why these ads all look alike
How can anyone describe who they are in a page or less?
(Desperately looking for someone, I guess)
But when the morning comes, both of you will be scratching your heads
In the aftermath, head to the bathroom to straighten up and then
You realize you forgot your toothbrush again
And what you saw in those five lines:
Did it materialize?
Now you know the reason why that one's in there every time
Look through the classifieds
Who's in the classifieds?
I'm through with the classifieds
08 Vaporub (04:04)
Kept my heart locked away / Kept it far away from me
Found a place by the river where nobody goes
Buried far beneath the levee
Places where I used to go / When it rained, my heart went deeper
Deep blue underneath the sea / Washed away for no one to see
I don't have the feelings I'm supposed to know
I don't get the feeling that you understand
Only get the feeling that you're feeling sorry for me
That's never been the point of what i've said
Never really knew what love was / Mixed it up with other thoughts
Growing up alone doesn't help one sort it out
Even when you're here, you're not
Never learned to trust another person
Never knew a person who could understand my words
Why I chose to share them, I will never know, but knowing
No one took the time to understand
Do I want forgiveness, or the thrill of maybe knowing
I could change direction, never caring where I'm going
Sometimes all the time it takes to make your destination
Isn't charted out as clearly as it seems
Now the smell of vaporub comes over me
All the shame of weakness builds again
Rules and expectations I can't follow any more
I became the person that I am
Wouldn't want to make you think you haven't found a way to me
It's only that it's not as simple as it seems to be
11 Reflecting Pool (03:39)
I stumble through this godforsaken
Uncertain of the path I'm taking
But along the way, I make a smile
I hope where I end up might be worthwhile
Holding in the breath of anger
Inside this old refrigerator
Those days are gone, there's more ahead
So concentrate on what's in store instead
A memory, a dream, or another crazy scheme
Then I find out what I want is something inbetween
Waking and repeating my routines
Walking circles, talk in circles to me
Words that tumble effortlessly from the lips of fools
Only cloud up what I see in my reflecting pool
Jumping headfirst into symmetry
I am splitting at the seams, hold me
In my reflecting pool / I look in my reflecting pool
This sole reflection is my own / The pool is still until the pebble's thrown
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