You Can’t Get These Nutrients From A Blow-Pop

Bob Mould “(Shine Your) Light Love Hope” – It’s easy to understand why some artists go off in radical new directions after building up a body of work that practically defines who they are. Most any artist eventually has to come to terms with the question of whether their artistic identity and methods are a true expression of who they are, or simply the result of their technical limitations, habits, and fears. Bob Mould’s previous album Modulate was a very risky endeavor, but I think that this track is proof that his experimentation with electronic music was the right decision even if that record was not among his best work. “(Shine Your) Light Love Hope” splits the difference between the classic Mould alt-rock sound and his immersion in electronic dance music. Experimentation with unfamiliar sounds and styles is usually most successful when a musician plays to their strengths as writers and performers, and that’s exactly what Mould does on this track. Instead of going full-on electronic as he did on Modulate, he’s taken what he’s learned and applied his influences to his signature style so that the song seems less like a formal excercise and more like a compelling pop song that feels both new and familiar. Given that United State of Electronica‘s debut album was one of Mould’s favorite records from 2004 and this record was written and produced last year, it seems very likely that their synthesis of Daft Punk-style vocodered disco pop and live rock band aesthetics was a key inspiration for this song’s arrangement. (Click here to pre-order it from Yep Rock, and here to visit Bob Mould’s blog.)

Ed Shepp “Partydance” – This track starts off as an extremely cheerful and dorky pop tune encouraging good health and dance parties, but as the song progresses, the message becomes increasingly harsh and judgmental before finally devolving into absurd scare tactics. (Click here to visit the official Ed Shepp website.)