428. Hüsker Dü, "New Day Rising"

 


OK now we're talking.  I don't know if this is THE album where punk rock discovered melody but if not it's close.  Husker Du had already put out some straight-ahead hardcore albums like Zen Arcade, and then along comes this record, which, revolutionarily, has punk songs you can hum along to.  I mean, obviously the title track and "Celebrated Summer" and "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" but especially "I Apologize," which I think is kind of the template for my favorite kind of Husker Du songs - absolutely crushing, grinding guitar, fast, and a soaring chorus that's the sonic equivalent of the first big downhill on a roller coaster.  This style reached its peak on a later album, Candy Apple Grey, and specifically the song "Sorry Somehow," but we're not here to talk about that album.  

The production is extremely punk rock in that it's tinny and flat and not great.  Humorously, true punx thought Husker Du was selling out on this album because the production was so professional.  Today, it sounds like it was recorded by playing the songs over the phone into a Realistic answering machine (kids, ask your parents) so that tells you what punk's like I guess.

I was just talking with a friend this weekend about one of the most powerful live shows we ever saw, which was Bob Mould (of Husker Du) solo, with an electric guitar, at the Independent, playing a mix of Husker stuff, Sugar (his later band), and his own stuff.  It was just one guy and one guitar but it was so loud and good and powerful and the songs are so good I still think about it to this day.  It was February 26, 2005.

Holy shit!  I didn't realize it was that long ago.  Since then I've gotten married and had a kid and all kinds of other stuff.  I also saw other Bob Mould shows after that, but nothing like that night in 2005.  

I was never a punk myself, but that's the thing about New Day Rising and Husker Du as a whole.  The album punks and pop kids could both like.

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