The third vinyl installment of Bob Mould’s career-covering Distortion boxset series – this time covering 2008-2019 – alongside a series of Best Of compilations, all of which land Apr 16th on Demon.
The main vinyl box being announced includes: 2008’s District Line, 2009’s Life and Times, 2012’s Silver Age, 2014’s Beauty & Ruin, 2016’s Patch the Sky and 2019’s Sunshine Rock covering a particularly fruitful and resurgent period for Bob in which he penned some of his most beloved records. Alongside them is a bonus LP which features Bob’s collaborations with Foo Fighters and Butch Walker and his 2019 Buzzcocks cover single ‘I Don’t Mind’, as well as a 28-page booklet featuring liner notes by journalist Keith Cameron, contributions from J Mascis and Shirley Manson, lyrics and memorabilia.
DISTORTION: THE BEST OF 1989-2019 2LP, 2CD, 4CD + DIGITAL ALSO OUT APR 16th ON DEMON
On April 16th, 2021, Demon Music Group will continue their year-long Bob Mould reissue campaign with Distortion: 2008-2019, the third of four vinyl boxsets chronicling the solo career of the legendary American musician. It follows hot on the heels of October’s 8LP Distortion: 1989-1995 boxset, which took in Mould’s early solo outings as well as his records with the much-beloved Sugar, January’s 9LP Distortion: 1996-2007 boxset continuing through the next steps in Mould’s solo career and his outings as LoudBomb and Blowoff, and the 24CD Distortion: 1989-2019 box, which covers the entirety of his post-Hüsker Dü output.
Distortion: 2008-2019 follows Mould through a number of standout records that include some of his most celebrated work – collected here are District Line (2008), Life and Times (2009), Silver Age (2012), Beauty & Ruin (2014), Patch the Sky (2016) and Sunshine Rock (2019), as well as a bonus disc Distortion Plus: 2008-2019, which features Mould’s collaborations with Foo Fighters and Butch Walker plus the 2019 single ‘I Don’t Mind‘. It comes pressed on clear vinyl with an etched B-side.
Meanwhile, also seeing release on April 16th via Demon are 2LP, 2CD and 4CD Distortion: The Best of 1989-2019 compilations – the first career-spanning compilations of Mould’s solo recordings, all of which were compiled by the man himself. Gathering 24 tracks (2LP), 32 tracks (2CD) and 73 tracks (4CD) respectively, the sets collect the cream of the main Distortion boxes and offer a fascinating glimpse of a musician at the vanguard of his field for over four decades. The 2CD edition also includes a 16-page booklet with a new essay by Cameron and artwork by Marchner, while the 4CD version comes with a 32-page companion that includes all of the above alongside a foreword by Fred Armisen and contributions from Richard Thompson, Bethany Cosentino and Shirley Manson. Both compilations will also be available digitally via all DSPs and iTunes. The audio on the Best Ofs has been mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston.
“It’s called Distortion because it describes the music and it fits the world we live in,” says Mould of the boxsets. “In this new age, everybody shares their life in real time. But I’m not done yet. If I didn’t have a constantly active career, this anthology might feel like the proverbial dirt landing on top of my coffin — though somehow I seem to be able to crawl my way out of the dirt every time!”
As Cameron offers:
“In 1989, Bob Mould was already a renowned figure, thanks to his trailblazing work with Hüsker Dü: the Minneapolis trio which refracted ’60s pop melody through the discord of hardcore punk, creating a new language that Pixies and Nirvana would subsequently teach the world to sing. With his debut solo album Workbook, however, Bob Mould amazed his audience with its pastoral beauty and contemplative tone.
“It would be the first in an ongoing series of artistic transformations, each profoundly shaped by Mould’s sensitivity to his environment. In 1992, he formed Sugar, a band whose debut album Copper Blue earned both critical plaudits and a long overdue popular dividend. Just three years later, with Sugar at its commercial peak, Mould ended the band and made a self-titled solo record mapping the most nakedly personal path down a road already hallmarked by unsparing self-expression. He shocked then confounded fans by announcing his retirement from rock music in 1998 and re-emerging in the new century as an experimental electronica artist and successful DJ, whose club night Blowoff became a phenomenon across the US. By the end of the ’00s, Mould had found a harmonious accommodation between his musical selves, and in 2012 released the catalytic Silver Age, made with his latest power trio configuration, and heralding a resurgent decade. A succession of albums up to 2019’s Sunshine Rock followed, each one a real time/real life distillation of fearless artistic vision and a master craftsman’s skill.”
Discover more about the boxsets including full tracklistings and FAQs: Here
The 7LP Distortion: 2008-2019 boxset and Distortion: The Best of 1989-2019 2LP, 2CD and 4CD compilations are all released Apr 16th, 2021, via Demon Music Group. The 24CD Distortion: 1989-2019, 8LP Distortion: 1989-1995 and 9LP Distortion: 1996-2007 boxsets are all available now.
9LP DISTORTION: 1996-2007 BOX RELEASED JAN 22nd 2021 ON DEMON
TWO FURTHER VINYL BOXES TO ARRIVE IN 2021
8LP DISTORTION: 1989-1995 & 24CD DISTORTION: 1989-2019 BOXSETS BOTH OUT NOW
On January 22nd, 2021, Demon Music Group will release Distortion: 1996-2007, the second of four vinyl boxsets chronicling the solo career of legendary American musician Bob Mould. It follows hot on the heels of the recently released 8LP Distortion: 1989-1995 boxset, which took in Mould’s early solo outings as well as his records with the much-beloved Sugar, and the 24CD Distortion: 1989-2019 box, which covers the entirety of his post- Hüsker Dü output.
Distortion: 1996-2007 takes in six studio albums across nine LPs: Bob Mould (1996), The Last Dog and Pony Show (1998), modulate. (2002 – first time on vinyl), Long Playing Grooves. (2002 – first time on vinyl), Body of Song (2005) and BLOWOFF (2006 – first time on vinyl), as well as a new compilation Distortion Plus: 1996-2007 which features an array of bonus tracks including the demo version of ‘Dog on Fire‘ (the theme from The Daily Show), B-sides and other rarities, pressed on clear vinyl.
As with the previously released Distortion: 1989-1995, each album in the set has been mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston and is presented with brand new artwork designed by illustrator Simon Marchner and pressed on 140g clear vinyl with unique splatter effects. The boxset includes a 28-page companion booklet featuring liner notes by journalist Keith Cameron, contributions from Death Cab For Cutie‘s Ben Gibbard and Best Coast‘s Bethany Cosentino, lyrics, memorabilia and much more. An exclusive indie edition limited to 750 copies worldwide also includes a 12″x12″ screen-print of the new modulate. album cover hand signed by illustrator Simon Marchner and Mould himself.
“It’s called Distortion because it describes the music and it fits the world we live in,” says Mould of the boxsets. “In this new age, everybody shares their life in real time. But I’m not done yet. If I didn’t have a constantly active career, this anthology might feel like the proverbial dirt landing on top of my coffin — though somehow I seem to be able to crawl my way out of the dirt every time!”
2021 will see two further vinyl Distortion boxsets covering the years 2008 to 2019 rounding out a year-long celebration of one of the most storied, creative and consistent voices in the American underground. As Cameron offers:
“In 1989, Bob Mould was already a renowned figure, thanks to his trailblazing work with Hüsker Dü: the Minneapolis trio which refracted ’60s pop melody through the discord of hardcore punk, creating a new language that Pixies and Nirvana would subsequently teach the world to sing. With his debut solo album Workbook, however, Bob Mould amazed his audience with its pastoral beauty and contemplative tone.
“It would be the first in an ongoing series of artistic transformations, each profoundly shaped by Mould’s sensitivity to his environment. In 1992, he formed Sugar, a band whose debut album Copper Blue earned both critical plaudits and a long overdue popular dividend. Just three years later, with Sugar at its commercial peak, Mould ended the band and made a self-titled solo record mapping the most nakedly personal path down a road already hallmarked by unsparing self-expression. He shocked then confounded fans by announcing his retirement from rock music in 1998 and re-emerging in the new century as an experimental electronica artist and successful DJ, whose club night Blowoff became a phenomenon across the US. By the end of the ’00s, Mould had found a harmonious accommodation between his musical selves, and in 2012 released the catalytic Silver Age, made with his latest power trio configuration, and heralding a resurgent decade. A succession of albums up to 2019’s Sunshine Rock followed, each one a real time/real life distillation of fearless artistic vision and a master craftsman’s skill.”
Discover more about the boxsets including full tracklistings and FAQs Here
The 9LP Distortion: 1996-2007 boxset is released Jan 22nd, 2021, via Demon Music Group. The 24CD Distortion: 1989-2019 and 8LP Distortion: 1989-1995 boxsets are both available now. Keep your eyes peeled for two further vinyl boxsets later in 2021.
24CD DISTORTION: 1989-2019 & 8LP DISTORTION: 1989-1995 BOXES RELEASED OCT 2nd 2020 ON DEMON
THREE FURTHER VINYL BOXES TO ARRIVE IN 2021
On October 2nd, 2020, Demon Music Group will release Distortion: 1989-2019, a chronicle of the solo career of Bob Mould and his band Sugar. This massive anthology compiles for the first time the entirety of Mould’s recorded work from 1989 onwards: 18 studio albums, plus four live albums and two albums of rarities and collaborations. Assembled with Bob Mould’s full involvement, and featuring new sleeve notes from legendary UK music critic Keith Cameron plus exclusive new artwork, this is the definitive portrayal of an American rock icon.
“It’s called Distortion because it describes the music and it fits the world we live in,” says Mould himself. “In this new age, everybody shares their life in real time. But I’m not done yet. If I didn’t have a constantly active career, this anthology might feel like the proverbial dirt landing on top of my coffin — though somehow I seem to be able to crawl my way out of the dirt every time!”
Today’s news comes accompanied by audio and video of Mould performing ‘Could You Be the One?’ – a latter Hüsker Dü classic, drawn from the trio’s 1987 swansong Warehouse: Songs and Stories – at Washington D.C.‘s 9:30 Club in October 2005, in the process bringing it back to dynamic, electric life. It features on the CD anthology’s Distortion Plus: 1989-2019 rarities and collaborations discs alongside other highlights from the show.
Speaking of the show, Mould offers: “For years, I didn’t play Hüsker Dü material with my subsequent touring bands.” He continues: “This was the first time my longtime friend and colleague Jason Narducy (bass) played in my touring band.Rich Morel (keys) was my work partner for 11 years in BLOWOFF, and the 9:30 Club was home for our monthly dance party.Brendan Canty (drums) nudged me out of my self-imposed ‘rock retirement’ after the 1998 Last Dog and Pony Show tour (which is also chronicled in the box set).Brendan’s company Trixie Productions filmed and edited the show.”
As Mould’s musical trajectory enters its fifth decade, now is the perfect moment to reflect on the journey so far. Distortion’s 24-CD box set edition features 295 tracks, mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston, and includes every solo album from 1989’s Workbookto 2019’s Sunshine Rock, the entire Sugar catalogue, Mould’s long out-of-print electronica projects LoudBomb and Blowoff, and four live albums spanning the period 1989-2008. Also included is Distortion Plus: 1989-2019, a new and exclusive collection of rarities and collaborations, featuring such highlights as ‘Dear Rosemary’, Mould’s 2011 collaboration with Foo Fighters, his fabled Golden Palominos contribution ‘Dying From The Inside Out’, plus a previously unreleased demo version of ‘Dog On Fire’, his theme tune for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.
Beautiful new artwork has been created by illustrator Simon Marchner, while the 72-page booklet features sleeve notes by Cameron, new interviews with Bob, a foreword by writer and actor Fred Armisen, testimonials by Richard Thompson, Shirley Manson and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, plus lyrics and unseen memorabilia. A1,000-limited edition includes an exclusive print hand-signed by Bob himself.
[Distortion: 1989-1995 8LP boxset]
Truly then, this is the definitive guide through the career of one of the most storied, creative and consistent voices in the American underground. As Cameron offers:
“In 1989, Bob Mould was already a renowned figure, thanks to his trailblazing work with Hüsker Dü: the Minneapolis trio which refracted ’60s pop melody through the discord of hardcore punk, creating a new language that Pixies and Nirvana would subsequently teach the world to sing. With his debut solo album Workbook, however, Bob Mould amazed his audience with its pastoral beauty and contemplative tone.
“It would be the first in an ongoing series of artistic transformations, each profoundly shaped by Mould’s sensitivity to his environment. In 1992, he formed Sugar, a band whose debut album Copper Blue earned both critical plaudits and a long overdue popular dividend. Just three years later, with Sugar at its commercial peak, Mould ended the band and made a self-titled solo record mapping the most nakedly personal path down a road already hallmarked by unsparing self-expression. He shocked then confounded fans by announcing his retirement from rock music in 1998 and re-emerging in the new century as an experimental electronica artist and successful DJ, whose club night Blowoff became a phenomenon across the US. By the end of the ’00s, Mould had found a harmonious accommodation between his musical selves, and in 2012 released the catalytic Silver Age, made with his latest power trio configuration, and heralding a resurgent decade. A succession of albums up to 2019’s Sunshine Rock followed, each one a real time/real life distillation of fearless artistic vision and a master craftsman’s skill.”
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