488: Hüsker Dü — New Day Rising (1985, SST)

Overall rating: 2

Level of Prior Familiarity: 0

How I Listened: Spotify, at home, in the car, at work

I’m a bad Minnesotan, I guess.

I grew up on Minnesota music, lived in that scene for the better part of my teenage years. I shopped at Cheapo and Oar Folkjokeopus and Let It Be. I still worship Prince to this day, and always will. I’m a child of the 90s, though, so the bands I was listening to were 12 Rods, Happy Apple, Greazy Meal, Brother Sun Sister Moon, and Love-cars. I love the ‘Mats as much as anyone, and nobody can rightfully say they don’t respect the hell out of Bob Dylan. But my Minnesota roots stop abruptly at Hüsker Dü.

Maybe it’s the bad production. I can’t make out a single lyric on this album.

Maybe it’s the dated guitar sounds, that weird overdrive that sounds so distinctly digital, in a very 80s kind of way.

Maybe it’s the songwriting, which I’d say is awesome, but I can’t hear the fucking lyrics.

Yeah, it’s pretty much just that.

I’d give this a 1, but I give a bonus point because the digital cover art is clearly scanned from a CD booklet. I don’t know why, but I love that.