For Bob Mould, forming his new band Sugar and recording COPPER BLUE, the group's Rykodisc debut, was like "starting again at zero." After two critically acclaimed, darkly introspective solo albums, following nearly a decade as guitarist with the legendary hardcore band Husker Du, Mould was ready for a new beginning. Armed with an exceptionally diverse body of musical expertise, a new batch of songs, ex-Zulus' drummer Malcolm Travis, and Athens, Georgia, native bassist David Barbe, Mould took the plunge. The result, COPPER BLUE, is perhaps Mould's best recording since the mid-eighties, combining the dense, melodic noise of his previous recordings with a sharp, bright, hypnotic musicality. Surging with melody, the album's ten songs are simultaneously coarse and beautiful, a spontaneous, appealing blast of sound.
On songs like "Hoover Dam," "Slick," and "Man On The Moon," Mould's satirical, sometimes nonsensical lyrics create a counterpoint to the songs' evocative melodies and fierce delivery. Yet tracks like "Changes" and "The Slim" are as dark as anything he's ever written. While the opening "The Act We Act" may hark band to his formative years with Husker Du, tracks like "A Good Idea" (a thinly disguised tribute to the Pixies), the boppy acoustic "If I Can't Change Your Mind" and the late-night finale "Man in the Moon" are far different from the work of his former band.
On songs like "Hoover Dam," "Slick," and "Man On The Moon," Mould's satirical, sometimes nonsensical lyrics create a counterpoint to the songs' evocative melodies and fierce delivery. Yet tracks like "Changes" and "The Slim" are as dark as anything he's ever written. While the opening "The Act We Act" may hark band to his formative years with Husker Du, tracks like "A Good Idea" (a thinly disguised tribute to the Pixies), the boppy acoustic "If I Can't Change Your Mind" and the late-night finale "Man in the Moon" are far different from the work of his former band.
New Musical Express voted COPPER BLUE 1992's Album of the Year; Spin ranked it at #6 in its Top 20 Albums, and the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll placed it at #7. Bolstered by the success of singles like the irresistible "Helpless," the quirkier "Good Idea," and the Top 40 crossover "If l Can't Change Your Mind," the album sold over 350,000 copies, setting the stage for a successful world tour and for BEASTER, the band's next release.
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