Album of the Day

Emerging from Minnesota's hardcore punk scene in the early 1980s, Hüsker Dü had a string of critically acclaimed independent releases behind them when they signed to Warner Bros. for CANDY APPLE GREY. With significantly improved production, the album highlights the broadening of the trio's sound begun on FLIP YOUR WIG. “I was always writing with an ear to melody,” recalled guitarist Bob Mould, and his “I Don't Know For Sure” and “Too Far Down” reflect that; Grant Hart's songs (“Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely,” “Sorry Somehow”) may be even catchier. The collection even made the Billboard Top 200, though its intense energy and idiosyncratic lyrics set it apart from almost anything else on the chart in 1986. The debt that bands like Nirvana or Green Day owe to Hüsker Dü is plain to hear on CANDY APPLE GREY, and any alternative rock fan would do well to give it a listen.