Just before
The Last Dog and Pony Show
hit the streets,
Bob Mould
announced that his supporting tour would be the last time he hit the road with a full electric band. From this point on, he would be challenging himself, finding different musical avenues to explore and leaving his trademark tower of guitars behind. Presumably, this also meant that
would be the recorded farewell to this sound, and it is indeed an excellent consolidation of all of his musical quirks and signatures.
is the work of a craftsman, not a nakedly emotional confessional like
Workbook
or
. That's not to say the album is lightweight, since seriousness is one of
Mould
's signatures, but there is a sense of humor that hasn't been heard since
Sugar
, and he, overall, sounds more relaxed than he has in years. He's so relaxed, in fact, that he lets down his guard on the cheerfully ridiculous pseudo-rap
"Megamanic,"
the only track on
Show
that offers a musical departure from
's past. The rest of the record is clearly a
album, from the rushing rockers to the impassioned acoustic
ballads
, but the craft in both the songwriting and the production guarantees that the music never sounds like a retread, even if it does sound familiar. And that's not a bad way to draw to a close the first part of his career, if
does indeed turn his back on his signature sound. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine