In Brief

** 1/2 Sugar, “Beaster,” Rykodisc. This six-song mini-album is intended as the dark afterthought to last year’s “Copper Blue.” And as afterthoughts go, it’s a fairly worthy one, although Bob Mould’s elliptical use of twisted religious imagery is a little hackneyed, even in the service of a short lyrical cycle about self-betrayal, self-crucifixion and quasi-resurrection. None of the songs are great, but Mould is convincingly passionate, and there’s no guitar roar in rock quite like a Sugar rush.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).