Bob Mould - Sunshine Rock (LP)

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The cliché that circulated after the 2016 election foretold a new artistic golden age: artists would transform their anger and anxiety into era-defining works of dissent in the face of authoritarianism. Yet Bob Mould calls his new album Sunshine Rock. It'€™s not because Mould - whose face belongs on the Mount Rushmore of alternative music - likes the current administration. His decision to "write to the sunshine,"€ as he describes it, comes from a more personal place -€“ a place found in Berlin, Germany, where he's spent the majority of the last three years. Here Mould would draw inspiration from the new environments.

"Almost four years ago, I made plans for an extended break,"€ Mould explains. "€œI started spending time in Berlin in 2015, found an apartment in 2016, and became a resident in 2017. My time in Berlin has been a life changing experience. The winter days are long and dark, but when the sun comes back, all spirits lift.

"€œTo go from [2011 autobiography] See a Little Light to the last three albums, two of which were informed by loss of each parent, respectively, at some point I had to put a Post-It note on my work station and say, 'Try to think about good things.'€™ Otherwise I could really go down a long, dark hole,"€ he says. "€œI'€™m trying to keep things brighter these days as a way to stay alive."

- LP