Bob Mould (part 3)

Continued from part 2

Matt: Of all the productions you’ve done and the remixes you’ve done, are there ones that you’ve done that are favorites?

BOB MOULD: As for outside production stuff, the SOUL ASYLUM records (While You Were Out and Made to Be Broken) were fun to make. It was great to get those guys off and running and they did great off of it. Made to Be Broken is the really good one, I think, with “Tied to the Tracks”. MAGNAPOP was a great-sounding record. It was a bear to make, but it sounded really crisp and did really well. Working with SAM FOGARINO on that INTERPOL remix was really great. Working with Rich Morel, co-writing, producing and doing a 50/50 on the Blowoff artist record was really great. I learned a lot from making that record.

Anne: Are there newer artists that you’re a fan of at the moment?

BOB MOULD: I’m a big NO AGE fan.

Matt: I really like them, too, especially the full-length (Nouns) from last year. I liked Weirdo Rippers, too, but not as much.

BOB MOULD: Weirdo Rippers was a lot more atmospheric. It reminded me more of a CHRISTIAN FENNESZ record, treated guitar stuff. I’m sort of a late-comer to FUCKED UP, but I think they’re really good.

Matt: Me too.

BOB MOULD: I like the WAVVVES album.

Matt: I’ve been trying to get into it.

Anne: It’s very highly rated on everyone’s favorite music website (Pitchfork Media). (laughter)

Matt: And it gets compared to DEERHUNTER or TIMES NEW VIKING , but I just haven’t gotten into it.

BOB MOULD: It doesn’t remind me of Times New Viking, except for the distortion. It’s a BEACH BOYS record, it sounds like a surf record and I think he’s sort of trying to channel the Beach Boys.

Matt: I should like it since I’m a huge Beach Boys fan.

BOB MOULD: On the other side of the spectrum, I thought that the most recent CUT COPY record was great. This guy named YUKSEK, who’s more of an electro/filter-house thing is kind of good. There’s a guy from Australia called JAYTECH. It’s really progressive house, almost trance-y. It’s a whole different thing from rock, but it’s really nice. It reminds me of CASCADA. So far this year, the winner is the new PHOENIX album. It’s unreal. It’s so good. The single is really good and the whole record is great. Their songwriting is great and the sounds they get are unbelievable. The recording style is so amazing. The new ROYSKOPP is OK. I have a friend whose opinions on music I really trust and he can’t stop going on about it, but it’s not THAT good.

Matt: I have the two-disc version of Melody A.M. and I like it, but I haven’t kept up with them since then.

BOB MOULD: On the new album, the gal from THE KNIFE (KARIN DREIJER ANDERSSON) is singing. They’ve got a really distorted, clubby song that she sings on. She’s also released a solo album under the name FEVER RAY, but it’s her singing.

Anne: I’m amazed that you have the time to listen to all of this stuff.

BOB MOULD: I DJ, so I have to spend a lot of time listening to music. I went through a B-more phase. I was listening to a lot of the bouncy rap-house stuff. Electro is hard. Everybody’s doing it. It’s sort of lost its appeal. I’m starting to gravitate more towards trance. THE PRESETS are amazing. They’re in a league of their own, but I think that everyone doing stuff that’s influenced by DAFT PUNK, JUSTICE, DIGITALISM right now. DEADMAU5 (pronounced “Dead Mouse”), MORGAN PAGE is a remixer who put out an artist album last year that I like a lot. Again, it’s pretty progressive, melodic and looping kind of stuff.