Bob Mould

Silver Age Edsel ***

Silver Age Edsel***

Those lucky enough to catch Bob Mould at Liss Ard this summer will have witnessed the singer, guitarist and songwriter– an American indie-rock legend – cut a swathe through the Sugar album Copper Blue. Mould formed Sugar after his time in the groundbreaking Hüsker Dü; after Sugar, he veered this way and that, occasionally finding himself stuck by the side of the road or facing a dead end. Silver Age sees no such wavering or wandering, as Mould directs what he terms "aggressive pop" into areas he hasn't visited since the glorious Hüsker Dü/Sugar days. In the space of 38 minutes, Mould packs in more melodies than you have ears for, but it's the precision, focus and sheer exhilaration – as well as the more or less instant segueing of one track into another – that makes this such a granite blast from start to finish. bobmould.com

Download tracks: Star Machine, Briefest Moment, Angels Rearrange

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture