Beaster EP [Deluxe Edition]

Sugar: Bob Mould (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion); David Barbe (bass); Malcolm Travis (drums, percussion).
Recorded at The Outpost, Stoughton, Massachussetts.
Lyricist: Bob Mould.
Personnel: Bob Mould (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion); David Barbe (vocals); Malcolm Travis (drums, percussion).
Audio Remasterer: Jim Wilson .
Liner Note Author: Keith Cameron.
Recording information: Finsbury Park (06/13/1993); Outpost, Stoughton, MA (06/13/1993).
Photographers: Steve Double; Sandra Lee Phipps; Russell Kaye.
Between the trance-like "Come Around" and the swirling "Walking Away," Sugar's second album, BEASTER (1993), is a sonic whirlwind that seems to function as a cathartic primal scream for Bob Mould, allowing him to exorcise personal issues. After a series of drum rolls, "Tilted," a grinding rocker barely contained by a pop structure, sets the stage for Mould's most furious work since 1990's BLACK SHEETS OF RAIN, while "Judas Cradle" is built on Malcolm Travis' pulverizing drumming, sustained, thick slabs of guitar, and clangorous feedback.
The record's centerpiece is the vicious "JC Auto," in which Mould sardonically recasts himself as Jesus Christ, questioning the sincerity of his followers. "Feeling Better" adds some synthesized horn sounds to the mix, while retaining the overall mood of the record, ending with the words, "There's nothing left for me to say / I guess it's time to walk away." By the time that "Walking Away" fades away, listeners are liable to notice that they haven't been breathing for a while. BEASTER is an astonishing 30-odd minute rollercoaster ride through dark places, and, without a doubt, one of Mould's finest releases.