Album Review

** 1/2 Bob Mould, “The Last Dog and Pony Show,” Rykodisc. Mould has staked out a niche for himself over the last decade--as both a solo artist and the leader of the trio Sugar--by churning out jagged-edged power pop that seethes with righteous scorn. Unfortunately, his new album treads over the same territory with little musical or thematic variation. There are a few change-ups here and there, such as “Megamaniac’s” half-hearted foray into steely industrial textures, but otherwise this album’s too predictable to provoke. Mould plays the Palace on Monday.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.