REVIEW: Bob Mould, The Last Dog and Pony Show (Rykodisc)
- Jon Steltenpohl
If we are to believe Mr. Mould, the title of his latest album is a little warning that things won't be the same musically after this album and supporting tour. Gone will be the loud, "electric" sound that's characterized most of his career, and in will be the softer, gentler Mould of his "acoustic" tours. Yes, The Last Dog and Pony Show will be the sign off to Mould's signature sound. Unfortunately, the album doesn't do Mould's back catalog justice. The muddled vocals are buried deep behind the raging siren guitars, and his venomous lyrics are diluted to vinegar. Indeed, Mould seems to have lost all desire for these songs, and the album, while certainly a decent effort, simply pales in comparison to most of his work.
A recent interview with Mould reveals that this analysis is spot on. Mould bemoans his trademark crunching sound and expresses a yearning for his acoustic mode where, ironically, most of these songs existed before the album. His current tour is his last band tour ever, he warns. As if he were merely reading the writing on his own wall, The Last Dog and Pony Show leaves you wishing for the acoustic versions of these songs.
On "First Drag of the Day", he goes overboard with trying to spice up the music. There's "mix master" distortions added without rhyme or reason, organ tossed underneath the mix, and a single guitar phrase mixed louder than anything else which is played over and over throughout the entire song. "Reflecting Pool" has the same set of problems. It's hard to believe these songs were included on the album. Similarly, the throwaway "Megamaniac" was a simple studio indulgence on the part of Mould that sounds like a low-rent Beck playing around. It's interesting, fun fluff, but it seems like one of those songs that shouldn't have made it out of the studio.
Still, a half hearted Bob Mould is still better than average. "Vaporub" gives us the Bob Mould I think he wants to be. Acoustic guitar on top of the band and lyrics which almost show hope in the middle of despair are pretty much Mould's hallmark, and "Vaporub" delivers. "Who Was Around?" uses a similar style and succeeds with lyrics like "I was a child, and now it seems so long ago / Why'd you abandon me? Maybe it's not for me to know / No explanation needed, nothing can change the way things went / You just weren't interested, I guess, I guess." Songs like "Classifieds", "New #1", and "Moving Trucks" fill in the gaps with catchy but average songs.
It isn't until the final track when Mould reaches his epiphany. On "Along the Way", Mould recruits Alison Chesley on cello and often features just her and his guitar. Mould really sings on this one, and, for a few fleeting moments, he allows the listener to hear his vocals. The song has class and pageantry, and, if this is the future of Bob Mould, I'm all for it. This is the mature version of the sound he started with on his first solo album after Husker Du's breakup.
Ultimately, it is Mould's blurry production on the bulk of the tracks that brings this album down. As a performer and a songwriter, he's proven himself, and, in previous studio efforts, he's produced great albums. But with The Last Dog and Pony Show, something's just not right. It's almost as if Mould has made the album out of a feeling of obligation to his fans, and his heart's not in it. The result is a below average album from an above average performer.
