Bob Mould

It’s safe to presume that Bob Mould would be perfectly comfortable working in any discipline. The D.C. transplant certainly demonstrated as much acumen in the last decade, serving as a scriptwriter for World Championship Wrestling and a columnist for Washington City Paper, recording electronica under the alias LoudBomb and more recently gaining a reputation as a successful remix artist and DJ at his openly gay Blowoff parties.

Of course, Mould forever remains best known as the singer-guitarist in trailblazing Twin Cities postpunk trio Hüsker Dü, with which he set the furious tone for Midwestern punk to follow. Bridging hardcore punk with the subsequent ’80s college-rock boom that would come to define indie rock, Dü paved the way for fellow Minnesotan acts like the Replacements and Soul Asylum.

So while the man’s reputation undoubtedly will precede any future endeavor, we’re concerned that Mould’s spreading himself too thin. Similar to last year’s District Line, the new, dull Life and Times sees him settling into a moderately paced trot that feels like a snail’s pace compared to the breakneck anthems that were formerly his calling card. Easing off the accelerator doesn’t do Mould any favors, and the chunky power chords driving uptempo anthems like “Mm 17” and “Argos” lack the hooks of his well-received ’90s threesome, Sugar.

The new album’s lead single, the sappy “I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Any More,” could easily court pop-country prime time on CMT. Worse yet, his trademark nasal tenor lowers into an uncomfortable warble on snoozers like “The Breach” and “Lifetime.” With Mould’s memoir (being cowritten with Michael Azerrad) slated to coincide with his 50th birthday next year, we’ll have ample opportunity to hear Mould’s side of the story. With any luck, looking backward will return some of the edge that’s so sorely missing.

Bob Mould performs solo at a sold-out show Sunday 29 at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

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