Soul Asylum finds 'Silver Lining' in comeback album

Alternative rockers Soul Asylum will mark the end of an eight-year recording drought with the July 11 release of their new album, "The Silver Lining."

The Minneapolis-based band dealt with tragedy last year when bassist and founding member Karl Mueller succumbed to throat cancer at the age of 41. Mueller's bass work appears on several of the album's tracks; bassist Tommy Stinson--formerly of fellow Minneapolis indie-rockers The Replacements, and currently a member of Guns N' Roses--was brought in to flesh out the rest of the disc, which is the band's ninth studio release.

The band was also supplemented in the studio by the addition of drummer Michael Bland, a longtime Minneapolis standby who's played with "everyone from Paul Westerberg to Prince," according to the band's bio.

"I'm really proud of this record," said guitarist Dan Murphy in a press release. "It's a guitar record and it was really fun to record. It will always remind me of Karl when I listen to it. He was really sick, but still pulled through and finished it in Soul Asylum fashion."

The album was recorded in Minneapolis and co-produced by Soul Asylum with Grammy-winner Steve Hodge and John Fields. The disc is the group's first full-length since 1998's "Candy From a Stranger."

"It makes me think of Karl," said vocalist Dave Pirner. "It was long overdue to record exclusively in Minneapolis because we hadn't done so in 15 years and the natural surroundings of home was something we needed. We feel extra proud of it because we did it on our own."

The band is currently in the midst of a brief tour centered on the album's release date, and will next tackle an appearance Saturday (7/8) in Rochester, MN. Bland and Stinson will join Pirner and Murphy, the band's two remaining founding members, for the dates.

The group is also scheduled to make a promotional appearance on the July 10 episode of NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."