Copper Blue

SUGAR Copper Blue (Rykodisc) Sugar plays what could be called old-school alternative rock-hooky tunes nearly hidden by a sandblast of punky guitars. But the band does it just about better than anybody else-and for a good reason: Its singer and guitarist, former Husker Du front man Bob Mould, is one of the godfathers of the underground rock scene. Copper Blue, Mould's first album with his brand-new band, finds him confidently returning to Du turf after two divergent solo albums. Bruteforce attacks like ''Fortune Teller'' and ''A Good Idea'' sound like Husker revisited, and, throughout the album, Mould shows he hasn't forgotten how to write gripping melodies (nor, alas, occasionally overwrought lyrics). Mould may still be acting as if it were 1985 and R.E.M. were a cult band, but in this case, nostalgia is a virtue. B+ -David Browne