File Under: Easy Listening
The ongoing emotional saga of Sugar continues with FU:EL, the power trio's third album and one that bristles with the confidence of a band reaching yet another creative peak.  From the adrenalin-charged opening salvo of "Gift" to the moody, emotionally draining farewell of  "Explode And Make Up," and the pieces of pop strewn within, Bob Mould's multilayered production brings it all to life with clarity and force.This third outing of Bob Mould's popcore band has blazed a trail across the alternative landscape, scorching all that it touches. Produced by Mould and recorded in and around Austin, Texas, FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING may not be as harrowing as its predecessor, BEASTER, but it's just as potent.  The high-octane opening track, "Gift," and the disc's first single, the appropriately-named pop gem "Your Favorite Thing," find an unusually optimistic Mould looking on the bright side of life....or so it seems.  Lurking beneath the bright, metallic guitar sheen, pounding drums, and tuneful vocals is the kind of ominous undercurrent Mould is famous for.FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING has its fun and playful moments -- the allegorical "Gee Angel" and the satirical "Granny Cool" -- and a few surreal, poetic respites such as "Panama City Motel."  But, ultimately, the album deals in the hard-won, cathartic rewards found in heart-wrenching tunes like "Can't Help You Anymore" and "Believe What You're Saying."  Mould masterfully interweaves acoustic and electric guitar textures over Barbe and Travis' sturdy rhythmic foundation, until his tortured vocals are engulfed by waves of distorion and stinging lead lines on the final cut, "Explode and Make Up."In part, the album also reflects Mould's admiration for the "low-tech" underground of bands such as Sebadoh and Guided By Voices. After an abortive attempt to make FU:EL in a large studio (the original tapes were purposely erased by Mould), he returned to Texas and went for a more spontaneous production style. "I learned to stop obsessing over every note," he explained. "Instead I said, what does the guitar sound like in this room? What does my voice sound like singing this song? Great, put it on. What that approach does is to push the song up front." It also makes for an album that may be the warmest-sounding of Sugar's three initial releases.Exceeding and defying expectations -- something Mould helped teach a generation of punks about in the 80's -- has quickly become one of Sugar's trademarks.  If COPPER BLUE was Mould's commercial vindication, and BEASTER a reminder that real artists don't always play by commercial rules, then FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING is proof that with timeless music the two go hand in hand.