After settling into a new home in Washington, DC and furthering his interest in club music by forming the monthly Blowoff event with friend and dance music artist Richard Morel, Mould began writing new guitar-based material in 2004, often trying out new songs on audiences when giving solo vocal-and-guitar performances in clubs all over the United States.

Canty's occasional Fugazi collaborator and Garland Of Hours bandmate Amy Domingues was tapped to contribute cello to two songs on the album.

Body of Song contained much of the electronic influence of its predecessor Modulate, but Mould's trademark guitar work, which had been buried in the former album's mix, was brought back to the forefront.

An advance digital single release on iTunes of the song "Paralyzed" became an immediate hit, and a specially packaged limited edition version sold out most of its pressing through direct advance orders (shipped to customers two weeks prior to the street date) from Yep Roc's web site (the remaining stock was saved for brick-and-mortar retail sale).

In conjunction with the release of the album, Mould formed his first live touring band since 1998, with Canty on drums, Morel on keyboards and vocals, and Jason Narducy (Rockets Over Sweden, ex-Verbow) on bass, ending a "semi-retirement" from full-band performance.