3 decades in the making - a look back at the life and times
 I was very excited to hear that Bob Mould was releasing yet another album. He has been a staple to my regular sonic diet for over 16 years when I first discovered his work in high school, however since then I have had the chance to go back through his discography that has spanned over 28 years and can see why this guy continues to be relevant. Very simply put - Bob Mould is one of the few true great songwriters of our time and with Life and Times (which marks his 9th solo album) he once again shows his brilliance. I remember first hearing his work when he was the front man for the popular punk/post punk band Hüsker Dü and I became even more of a fan when he formed the alt rock band Sugar in the early 90's. The release of Copper Blue had me in awe based on the overtly strong guitar riffs mixed with perfectly timed fuzz guitar and at times a genuine addition of a chorus effect. Though his guitar work I would say is not of Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn caliber, his songwriting skills make up for that and then some. His songwriting skills are amongst the best in the industry and you can tell he goes to great lengths to make sure what he is releasing is on topic and theme with the album he is currently working on. Now fast forwarding to 2009 he releases Life and Times and just to start this off, I will not toot his horn too much here because this is not a revolutionary album, but it is solid, and I am not completely sure it has to be a revolutionary album. Bob is doing what Bob does best and when it comes right down to it, there is no need for him to go any further.  This album is similar to how he has crafted his many previous albums � short and to the point with no fluff. Life and Times rings in at a touch over 36 minutes in length. Apparently there were a few more songs that were to be a part of the album, but once these were laid down he felt the others were not provocative enough to stand up to what was already complete so in typical Bob Mould fashion, he axed 'em. To me this says something special about him and truthfully I wish more artists would use this type of discretion. I am tired of listening to albums with one or two great songs and a bunch of mediocre to sub-par filler. It just doesn't show much integrity on the artist's part and if nothing else integrity is what Bob Mould possesses more than anything else. As for the songs on Life and Times they are exactly what you would hope for from Mr. Mould and has the musical styling's of the late Hüsker Dü and early Sugar stuff mixed well with the more ambient/chorus driven songs of his solo albums. For anyone who hasn't had the chance to hear the work of Bob Mould in the past I recommend you do so. For those who are already fans this is album is a must listen.
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