At 44, Bob Mould is happy.

Yes, this is the same guy who used to put out dour records like "Black Sheets of Rain," an album Rolling Stone called "a long, loud howl of pain . . . (filled with) blatant suicidal desperation." And it's the same guy who, in 1998, vowed to leave the rock world behind forever with what was to be his final traditional album and tour, dubbed "The Last Dog and Pony Show."

"I used to live too much of my life worrying about what other people thought," Mould said during a phone interview from his home in Washington, D.C. "My dark and introspective life was solitary. It was valid, (but now) I finally feel like I have a family. I'm integrated. My friends are really important to me, and they have a lot to do with why this record is so (expletive) cool."

That record is "Body of Song," the former Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman's sixth solo album and his first in seven years to feature a rock band. And it's been just as long since Mould has hit the road with fellow musicians in tow.

The tour, which recently brought Mould to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, also represents the artist making peace with his past. In another first for Mould, the set touches on all aspects of his career, from Hüsker Dü ("Celebrated Summer," "Makes No Sense at All," "Could You Be the One") to Sugar ("A Good Idea," "If I Can't Change Your Mind," "Helpless") to his solo years ("See a Little Light," "Egoverride," "Beating Heart the Prize").

"We really cover the whole spectrum and it's a hoot. It's meant to be a really up, fun show," Mould said. "And it's a nice reward for me personally, since I've never gone back and revisited some of this stuff. And for other people, it's a reward for bearing with me."

Mould grew up in upstate New York and moved to the Twin Cities in 1978 to attend Macalester College on a scholarship for underprivileged students. Soon after, he had formed Hüsker Dü with bass player Greg Norton and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart.

Hüsker Dü spent the next decade becoming the toast of the local, and then national, underground thanks to a series of albums that found a midway point between hardcore and melodic '60s-inspired pop. But by 1988, the band had split acrimoniously, with Mould moving to the East Coast and starting a solo career.

After another decade as a solo act — as well as a two-album stint with Sugar, his most commercially successful venture to date — Mould announced he was through with fronting loud rock bands. He retreated into a quieter life and began to explore electronic music.

He also began to connect with the gay community. His sexuality was an open secret back in the Hüsker Dü days and, during Sugar, it began to be reported in the mainstream media, much to the dismay of Mould, who saw it as an invasion of his privacy.

In 2002, he released a pair of electronic albums, a strictly electronic disc under the "LoudBomb" moniker, as well as "Modulate," which married dance rhythms to Mould's rock sensibility. The former went largely unheard by Mould's fan base, while the latter largely alienated it.

After the "Modulate" tour — which saw Mould playing electric and acoustic guitars with backing tapes and video screens — he packed up once again and moved to D.C. There he began both the monthly DJ night Blowoff with Rich Morel as well as a Boblog (modulate.blogspot.com).

As for his future, Mould said he and Morel have a Blowoff CD ready to release, and he has another LoudBomb disc on tap as well. Another guitar offering is possible, too.

"I've got some stuff written — I was writing stuff last night, actually," he said. "I can never tell, but when it's time to record, it'll happen. It may happen when I get back from this tour."