So Bob Mould’s new album Body Of Song has leaked a couple months before its July 26 release date and he’s not happy about it. Over the past week he’s fielded letters of support and puts a pox on the downloader’s houses.

The Metafilter peanut gallery chimes in with the predictable rhetoric and Mystery & Misery, who first directed me to the hubbub, also states his position. For my part, I said my peace a few months ago when it was Sleater-Kinney voicing their displeasure at the leaking of their new record and my feelings on the matter haven’t changed. In fact, nothing’s changed. People will still leak records, other people will still download them and rationalize it however they want. And God willing, the artists will still get paid, somehow, and get by.

But in a strange way, it is good to see that there is still interest in Bob’s work – I wasn’t sure how much of his fanbase he’d have alienated with his electronic experiments as Loudbomb (still the best anagram name ever) and the last Modulate record, which even a completist as myself decided to give a pass. Body Of Song is heralded as a return to the classic Mould guitar template of raging electrics alongside shimmering acoustics – some are even going so far as to say it’s the second coming of Sugar. I don’t know about that – from what I’ve heard from the album (all perfectly legally, thanks – see below), it does rock again but it doesn’t have the sheer sonic density that Copper Blue had nor the screaming rage of Beaster. That’s okay though, I don’t really wish anyone into the mental headspace that would be required to create another record like Beaster – that’s still one of the angriest records I’ve ever heard. Instead, Body Of Song sounds like the more upbeat moments of his two post-Sugar self-titled albums. Either way, it’s good to have Bob back and amplified again. I had feared that he’d make good on his promise to give up the rock after The Last Dog And Pony Show.

Since I know no reader of mine would be so gauche as to still go hunt down the leaked album after Bob has expressed his displeasure with such deeds, I will direct you to some above-board previews of Body Of Song. YepRoc has one of the more uptempo tracks, “Paralyzed”, available to stream off their site and Fluxblog has got a Bob-sanctioned MP3 of “(Shine Your) Light Love Hope” up for grabs.

Also exciting is the fact that Mould is planning a full North American tour to promote the record for the Fall wherein he’ll play songs from all eras of his career – that’s right, ALL. We’re talking Bob Mould, Sugar and Husker Du. Awesomeness indeed. It’s been eleven years since I’ve seen Bob Mould live – far too long.

Drowned In Sound is next up on the Sleater-Kinney press merry-go-round.

Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake tells Rolling Stone where the name of their new album, Man-Made, came from, and how Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy helped with the making of the record, out June 7.

Jenny Lewis tells Philly.com (Bugmenot) the story of Rilo Kiley (via LHB).

And as for this blurb in eye… Slow news week, fellas? I prefer to think of it as me taking money AWAY from donations to Bush. I wonder what a cursory investigation as to the political leanings of eye‘s advertisers would reveal, hmm? But they also say I’m “beloved”, so all is forgiven.

np – Jay Farrar / Stone, Steel & Bright Lights

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