Born in Malone, New York, Mould lived in several places, including Pine City, Minnesota and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where he attended Macalester College. There, he formed Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, with drummer/singer Grant Hart and bass guitarist Greg Norton.
Mould released his first solo album after Hüsker Dü broke up; 1989's Workbook eschewed Mould's trademark wall-of-noise guitar for a stripped-down sound featuring acoustic guitars and cellos. 1991's jagged Black Sheets of Rain put Mould in more familiar territory, recalling Hüsker Dü's loudest, angriest moments. Mould also started a record label, Singles Only Label, which released singles from up and coming bands such as Grant Lee Buffalo.
Mould then formed the group Sugar, a college/alternative radio favorite in the mid-1990s. Along with extensive touring, Sugar released two albums, an EP and a B-sides collection before splitting.
Mould returned to solo recording, releasing a self-titled album in 1996 (which is often referred to as Hubcap because of the cover photo) and 1998's The Last Dog and Pony Show. During a stint living in New York City in the late-1990s, Mould's tastes took a detour into dance music and electronica. Those influences were clear on his 2002 release Modulate, which featured a strong electronica influence to mixed critical reviews. To pursue this sound, Mould also began recording under the pseudonym LoudBomb (an anagram of his name). He has released one CD so far under this name.
Mould took a brief break from the music world to get involved with another passion of his, professional wrestling, when he joined WCW as a scriptwriter for a brief period. Creative differences with some of the other writers of the league led to Mould leaving the company and returning to music. The liner notes for Modulate thank some of the wrestlers he associated with, most notably Kevin Nash and Kevin Sullivan.
In addition to his solo work, Mould is also a live DJ in collaboration with Washington DC-area dance music artist Richard Morel, under the collective banner Blowoff. A recording under that banner was released in September 2006. Mould has been asked to do remixes for a variety of dance and alternative rock artists. A recent remix of the Interpol song "Length Of Love" has led to more critical acclaim for the veteran artist.
For much of the 1990s, Mould toured playing solo acoustic renditions of his catalog (occasionally switching to electric guitar midway through his set). In 2005 his solo album Body of Song was cross-announced with his first band tour since 1998. Brendan Canty, best known as the drummer for Fugazi, and Mould's Blowoff collaborator, Morel, played drums and keyboards, respectively, for the 2005 tour. Mould's latest album, District Line, was released in February 2008.
Though his homosexuality was previously something of an open secret, Mould was outed in the early 1990s; he is now openly gay. Though it was often rumored during his Hüsker Dü days that he and bandmate Hart were an item (Hart was also gay, and both acknowledge taking partners on tour), both have flatly denied ever having been romantically involved.
In 2006, Mould contributed the song "If I Can't Change Your Mind" to the album Wed-Rock, an album to promote same-sex marriage.
On September 29, 2005, Mould's song "Circles" was featured on The OC as Marissa Cooper was starting her first day at her public school in Season 3. Mould's song "Dog on Fire" is the theme song for The Daily Show. They Might Be Giants perform the current version. The song "See a Little Light" has been used more than once in various television applications: It was used in the closing scene of the original un-aired test pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it became one of the principal theme songs for the HBO series The Mind of the Married Man and was also used in a television commercial for TIAA-CREF (August 2007). Mould also composed the theme for the TLC program, In a Fix.
Mould and director Cameron Crowe are close friends; the character Bob Sugar (played by Jay Mohr) in Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire is named for both Mould and his former band, Sugar.
Mould appeared on an episode of IFC's The Henry Rollins Show on June 15, 2007.
Mould also played lead guitar in the house band for the film of John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mould also participated in a Hedwig tribute album, Wig in a Box, on which he covered the song "Nailed."
Solo Discography
Workbook LP (Virgin, 1989)
See A Little Light Single (Virgin, 1989)
Wishing Well + 4 Tracks Single (Virgin, 1989)
Black Sheets of Rain LP (Virgin, 1990)
Poison Years Compilation LP (Virgin, 1994)
Egøverride Single (Rykodisc, 1995)
Bob Mould LP (Rykodisc, 1996)
The Last Dog and Pony Show LP (Rykodisc, 1998)
Modulate LP (Granary Music, 2002)
Live Dog 98: The Forum, London UK Live LP (Granary Music, 2002)
Long Playing Grooves (released under anagram LoudBomb) LP (Granary Music, 2002)
Body of Song (Yep Roc, 2005)
District Line (Granary Music, 2008)
Silver Age (Edsel 2012)
Beauty & Ruin (Merge Records, 2014)
Patch the Sky (Merge Records, 2016)
Sunshine Rock (Merge Records, 2019)
Bootlegs
The Calm Before the Storm (Kiss The Stone, 1994)
Bands Produced
Soul Asylum, Made To Be Broken LP
Articles of Faith, Give Thanks and In this Life LPs
Magnapop, Hot Boxing LP
Verbow, Chronicles LP
The Zulus, Down on the Floor LP
Impaler, If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous LP
Low, Tonight the Monkeys Die Remixes EP
http://www.bobmould.com
http://modulate.blogspot.com
The Descent
Bob Mould Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Full of hope and wonder
And I wore flowers in my hair
Not aware I'd been defiled
(Every time I see you) I know it's going down
(How can I believe you?) Karma comes around
You going down, I must be descending
I didn't want to play the song
That gave people so much hope
I turned my back and turned away
Here's the rope that made me choke
(Every time I see you) I know it's going down
(How can I believe you?) Karma comes around
You can see it in my eyes
You can read it on my face
You can hear it as I cry
God, I hope it's not too late
Can I try to make it up to you somehow?
Can I try to make it up to you somehow?
Now my race is finally run
And as I tumble to the Sun
All these dreams I can't achieve
Brought me crashing to my knees
My descent has no begun
All the music left undone
My world, it is descending
The song "The Descent" by Bob Mould is a poignant reflection of an individual’s journey through life that was filled with hope, wonder, and good intentions that slowly but surely take a dark twist. In the first few lines, Mould sings about how he started out with a positive outlook on life, ready to take on the world and make his mark. However, he quickly realized that there was a dark side to the world that he was unaware of. He was defiled, stripped of his naivety and purity, and everything he did from then on was tainted by this awareness.
The song then takes on a darker tone as Mould outlines how every time he sees someone who he knows is going down, he is reminded that karma comes around. He talks about how he didn't want to play the song that gave people hope because somewhere along the way, he lost his faith in it. The rope that made him choke could be seen as a metaphor for the things he did wrong, the mistakes that he made that he couldn't take back.
Mould reflects on how his descent has begun and how his world is descending, and he hopes it's not too late for him to try to make amends. The song ends with the realization that all the dreams that he had can't be achieved, and his fall from grace is inevitable.
Overall, the song encapsulates the struggle that individuals face when trying to stay true to themselves while navigating a complex and often cruel world.
Line by Line Meaning
I started out so starry-eyed
I began with high hopes and aspirations
Full of hope and wonder
With optimism and curiosity
And I wore flowers in my hair
I was carefree and unburdened
Not aware I'd been defiled
Unknowingly corrupted by external forces
(Every time I see you) I know it's going down
Negative anticipation when encountering this person
(How can I believe you?) Karma comes around
Distrust and a belief in eventual justice/retribution
I know this ride, you must be there by my side
I need support during a difficult time
You going down, I must be descending
As you fall, I too decline
I didn't want to play the song
I resisted fulfilling others' expectations of me
That gave people so much hope
The song represented something meaningful to others
I turned my back and turned away
I rejected the pressure to conform
Here's the rope that made me choke
The expectations imposed on me led to my downfall
You can see it in my eyes
My pain is evident
You can read it on my face
My emotions are visible
You can hear it as I cry
My suffering is audible
God, I hope it's not too late
I am desperate for a chance at redemption
Can I try to make it up to you somehow?
I want to make amends for the harm I caused
Now my race is finally run
My journey is ending
And as I tumble to the Sun
A descent into destruction
All these dreams I can't achieve
Unfulfilled aspirations
Brought me crashing to my knees
Failure has humbled me
My descent has no begun
I have only just begun to fall
All the music left undone
Unrealized artistic potential
My world, it is descending
My life is spiraling out of control
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOB MOULD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Chilton
Copper Blue is, by far, the best album of the 90's. This album bring that sonic assault of Sugar back in full force. Bob Mould is a god.
Lourenço Milani
Agreed!!!
forandon behalfof
Errrr.....And Then The Flying Spaghetti Monster (All Hail His Noodly Appendages) invented 'The Living End'.............
D dC
This man was with me at age 12 in my childhood bedroom on my stereo and he’s with me now at age 51 on my iPad. Bob’s music has been the soundtrack of my life. GOAT.
T- man
Not GOAT but I believe the rest of what you said
Allen Vestal
@T- man Can you name another artist who created hundreds of songs with chord progressions that were not similar?
T- man
@Allen Vestal not sure, maybe. Afew of my guesses would be the Beatles and maybe the Replacements/Paul Westerberg, but I'm not sure
Allen Vestal
@T- man I saw the Replacements in Dallas circa 1990. The acoustics were bad even though the soundboard had at least 34 channels.
Tungus Grump
The ENTIRE album is spectacular!! Bob Mould continues to amaze with everything he does! From the first song to the last, it takes you on a journey and never lets up! I guarantee that it will be an album you play over and over again! Why Bob has not gotten his just due is beyond me!!!!
Steve Rusnak
He jas. People like us have given to him what he has earned