Albums of the Year 2016: Patch The Sky - Bob Mould

Patch The Sky - Bob Mould

Merge Records

Produced by Bob Mould

Released 25th March 2016

US Chart #82

US Independent Chart # 6

UK Chart #54

Select Tracks from Patch The Sky

Promos, Album and Performance

 Tracklist
A1 Voices In My Head    
A2 The End Of Things    
A3 Hold On    
A4 You Say You    
A5 Losing Sleep    
A6 Pray For Rain    
B1 Lucifer And God    
B2 Daddy's Favorite    
B3 Hands Are Tied    
B4 Black Confetti    
B5 Losing Time    
B6 Monument

Personnel
    Bob Mould - guitars, vocals, keyboards, percussion
    Jason Narducy - bass, backing vocals
    Jon Wurster - drums, percussion

Live On KEXP

Performance and Interview

10th May 2016

Songs:
The End Of Things
Losing Time
You Say You
The Descent
Black Confetti

Here's the previous performance that was mentioned in the above video (Click on the links):

Full KEXP Performance from 16th April 2016.

Songs:
Hoover Dam
See A Little Light
The Descent
I Don't Know You Anymore
You Say You
Voices In My Head
Hold On
If I Can't Change Your Mind
Makes No Sense At All

Five Song Encore 

Brooklyn Bowl, London

11th February 2016

Songs:

Flip Your Wig (Hüsker Dü) 

Hate Paper Doll (Hüsker Dü)

Your Generation (Generation X Cover)

Love Is All Around (Hüsker Dü)

Makes No Sense At All (Hüsker Dü)

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Patch The Sky is the 12th Solo Album from Bob Mould and his third for Merge Records following the absolutely ear shattering Silver Age in 2012 and the  magnificent Beauty and Ruin from 2014.

I really do think that Bob Mould has been making some of his best music in the past 8 years or so beginning with District Line in 2008 and Life and Times in 2009. 

I love the fact on this album he is sounding as raw and powerful as he did back with Hüsker Dü and his other power trio Sugar. There's a real sense of urgency to deliver these songs that you feel you barely have time to breath between one ending and the next one beginning.

Originally the album was going to be an Acoustic type album, similar to something like Workbook his fine solo Debut Album (there you go Pauline you were not dreaming you read that before!) but the death of his mother led to a more darker tone for the album.

Hold On is actually an older song that had been hanging around for a while and eventually finds its place here on Patch The Sky.

The title of the album arose out of a vision Mould had, "of when people leave or things end, of something shooting through the 'fabric of the sky' and disappearing. 'Sometimes you think you want to chase it,' he says, meditating on the people or elements you lose along the way in life. 'Sometimes you get right to the edge of it, and sow it back shut and stay on the other side. Does that make sense?' You decide to patch the sky and keep going, instead of shooting through yourself."*

*There's a great piece written by Ryan Leas for Stereogum back in January this year that is worth a read as Bob Mould looks back on his career and talks about this new album. The quote comes from that article.