CD Review: Bob Mould – District Lines
February 21st, 2008 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin 
CD Review – Bob Mould
District Lines
Anti
Over 20 years have passed since Husker Du broke out of the underground hardcore punk scene to influence a plethora of modern indie rock darlings. In fact, outside music nerd circles and aging punk rockers, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear “Husker WHO???” more often than not. But while the long-defunct band fades into music history, Bob Mould continues to stay in our memory with his string of solo music releases, and the latest album, District Lines.
District Lines is mellow, melancholic, and above all heartfelt rock and roll. While this music is a far cry from his early work with Husker Du, it would be a mistake to say that Mould has calmed down since those years, since this album makes up in passion what it is missing in anger or ferocity. Dealing with intensely personal themes, Mould has crafted several intense songs that run the gamut from folk-rock to more electronica-driven efforts.
Mould’s unique, husky voice is in fine form on District Lines, and part of the electronica influences on this album include Cher-esque vocal distortion. Such electronic fiddling runs the risk of turning into cheese, but these effects are done with a light touch that complements each track as a whole, with the exception of the stand-out (yet enjoyable) “Shelter Me,” which sounds more like a club track than anything else on the album.
Anyone who has followed Mould’s career up to this point is going to want this disc, but it shouldn’t be nostalgia value alone that gets District Lines off the store shelves. Mould proves that he is still a songwriter to be respected, with something new to give his listeners. 2008 is still young, but as it stands District Lines has a good shot at my top ten for the year.
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