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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
Blue Hearts is a cry of purifying anger in a dark time, and its heat produces a truly necessary light; it's one of the very best solo albums Mould has given us to date.
3mo
90
Bob Mould's Blue Hearts, his fourteenth solo album, is a concert captured in an album, live-sounding songs relentlessly flowing into each other, leaving the listener feeling like they just got off of a water park racing slide that was accidentally overfilled.
3mo
85
Thank God he’s come back around to show us what true protest music sounds and feels like during our uniquely American crisis.
3mo
80
A Candy Apple Grey with shades of Black Sheets Of Rain, Bob Mould's ninth album of this century plays with a familiar musical palette, but the Sugar man's rep as the post-hardcore Macca remains similarly solid as he closes on 60.
5mo
80
Getting back in touch with his anger hasn't come at the cost of Mould's innate tunefulness, however, with even American Crisis's bleak predictions that "We're going to war/We're going to die" sweetened by his trademark anthemic punk rock.
5mo
80
It’s a reminder that a great punk record may not be a cure-all for the world’s ills, but it can sure feel like a shot in the arm for your optimism.
3mo
80
The former Husker Du singer and guitarist focuses his anxieties on his 14th solo album, lashing out against conservatives and homophobes with renewed conviction
3mo
80
Mould touches upon personal conflicts just as masterfully as he does the political ones.
3mo
80
Blue Hearts finds him upping the ante yet again.
3mo
76
While it’s easy to lament the environment from which Blue Hearts has come, Mould demands more. He reminds listeners that everybody has a voice. Use them.
3mo
72
Blue Hearts is a punk protest, and the most Mould has taken this direct in close to 40 years, but it also brings in his alt-rock sound and his heightened sense of songwriting.
3mo
70
Blue Hearts is ideal fodder for smashing in the news channel to.
3mo
70
Mould’s been especially prolific of late, with a new release every other year or so over the past decade. That makes Blue Hearts less a surprise, but still more than any obligatory offering.
3mo
Bob Mould - Blue Hearts
Genre: Alternative Rock
Country: US
Final Verdict: 53% (Pleasant Album)
Yearly Ranking: 871th / 1057
Highlight: Racing to the End
Made me think of:
REM
Pearl Jam
The Vines
Nada Surf
Genre: Alternative Rock
Country: US
Final Verdict: 53% (Pleasant Album)
Yearly Ranking: 871th / 1057
Highlight: Racing to the End
Made me think of:
REM
Pearl Jam
The Vines
Nada Surf
The only other Bob Mould album I've heard is his debut, 'Workbook', which is rather different from what he did with Hüsker Dü. Now, in 2020, he just released 'Blue Hearts', which sounds very similar to what he was doing 35 years ago. Although the lyrical themes aren't so aggressive like it was back then with "I'll Never Forget You", the tracks are very fast and full of adrenaline: he puts 14 tracks in 35 minutes. They're not unfamiliar for those who listened to Hüsker ... read more
I'm not feeling this at all. The songs sound so bland. The songwriting doesn't stand out to me at all. In fact, nothing about this album stands out to me. It's just boring unseasoned quinoa salad.
Lives up to its billing as the faster, leaner cousin to Sunshine Rock's ultra-positivity. Keeping the vocals down in the mix is a Bob trademark that I go back and forth on how much I like, but if you just want some bangers, this album's got some bangers.
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Year End Lists
| #12 | / | Sound Opinions: Jim DeRogatis |
| #22 | / | Good Morning America |
| #48 | / | Rough Trade |
| #52 | / | Albumism |
| / | AllMusic |
Track List
- Heart on My Sleeve
- Next Generation
- American Crisis
- Fireball
- Forecast of Rain
- When You Left
- Siberian Butterfly
- Everyth!ng to You
- Racing to the End
- Baby Needs a Cookie
- Little Pieces
- Leather Dreams
- Password to My Soul
- The Ocean
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Added on: June 10, 2020