Sugar
In the aftermath of Nirvana 's commercial breakthrough unhinging
a flood of loud, powerful and uncompromising
USA-based music, Bob Mould (b. 16 October
1960, Malone, New York, USA; guitar, vocals) found himself subject
to the somewhat unflattering representation
'Godfather of Grunge'. The ex- Hüsker
Dü songwriter earned this accolade on the back of his former group's
considerable influence, but with Sugar
he seemed set to continue to justify the
critical plaudits that have followed his every move. Joined
by David Barbe (b. 30 September 1963, Atlanta, USA; bass, vocals,
ex-Mercyland) and Malcolm Travis (b.
15 February 1953, Niskayuna, New York, USA; drums, ex-Zulus),
he found another powerful triumvirate
to augment his own muse. Barbe proved particularly
complementary, a talented songwriter in his own
right, his presence as a forthright
and intelligent counterpoint mirrored the contribution Grant
Hart made to Hüsker Dü. Sugar's breakthrough,
most visibly in the UK, came with the arrival
of Copper Blue in 1992. 
Populated by energetic, evocative, and determinedly
melodic pop noise, the album found critics grasping
for superlatives. The Hüsker Dü comparisons
were inevitable, but Mould was now viewed as an all-conquering
prodigal son. Singles such as 'Changes'
tied the band's musical muscle to a
straightforward commercial skeleton, and daytime radio play became
an unlikely but welcome recipient of
Sugar's crossover appeal. The historically contrary
Mould responded a few months later with Beaster;
in which the melodies and hooks, though
still present, were buried under layers of harsh feedback and
noise. Ultimately as rewarding as previous
work, its appearance nevertheless reminded
long-term Mould watchers of his brilliant but pedantic
nature. F.U.E.L.offered a hybrid of
the approaches on the two previous albums, and again saw Mould
venerated in the press, if not with
the same fawning abandon that Copper Blue
had produced. Afterwards, however, Mould ruminated widely
about his doubts over the long-term
future of Sugar, suggesting inner-band tensions between the
trio. Mould confirmed this in spring
1996, stating that 'it wasn't fun anymore'.
Travis joined Customized and Barbe was standing in with
Buzzhungry. Mould wasted no time in
recording and issuing another excellent solo album in April
1996.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989
- 1998
