“let’s not listen to the things that they say / everything can fall apart / let’s think about our actions before we do them / everything will fall apart” – Hüsker Dü, “Everything Falls Apart”
It’s punk rock time again. Sabbath and The Beatles are pretty good, I suppose, but it’s punk rock time. Aren’t you tired of combing your hair? Don’t you want to throw something at something? Real quick before we start: as a transplant midwesterner, I am half-expecting this band from Minnesota to be Fargo-ed out within an inch of their life. *Blast beat* “ope” *blast beat* “Doncha know” and so forth.
Anyway, today’s album is Everything Falls Apart by Hüsker Dü. I want to do Zen Arcade, but it feels like I should start with the album before the double album, you know?
Previous entries:
Naked Raygun | Pure Hell | Big Joanie | The Beatles | The Beatles | Black Sabbath
How I Came Across This Album
Brendan’s recommended the Huskers to me before. Around COVID lockdowns, there was a funny tweet about bands reimagined for the vaccine denial era, and someone mentioned Hüsker Dü Your Own Research. That’ll pop in my head and make me laugh every now again. I just haven’t gotten around to listening to them, despite loving both punk and trios. Apple Music’s “Essental Albums” section for Hüsker Dü calls New Day Rising and Zen Arcade the two essentials, and while I’m very interested in post-punk1 or post-harcore or whatever? I’m gonna start at the beginning(ish).
TRACK BY TRACK
Twirl yr mustaches and get yr pogo shoes on, it’s Hüsker Dü time.
From the Gut
START YOUR ALBUM WITH RAPID FIRE SNARE DRUM. We don’t do that anymore. We used to be a proper country. Without figuring this song out on guitar or looking up tabs, I already really appreciate the textures Bob Mould is getting. There’s a real sense of “this riff sounds better if I play fewer/more strings,” even amongst the speedy buzzsaw of tone.
Blah, Blah, Blah
Love punk basslines like this, that kind of stutter. Greg Norton can play, man. Should say upfront that I’m not going to look up whether Mould or Grant Hart is singing vocals on a given song, nor am I gonna try to tell them apart. Based on Norton’s bass intro and Mould’s solo in this song, I wish I had this album back when I was heavily into Blink 182’s Cheshire Cat. That’s their debut full length, and Tom’s most ambitious guitar album until the post-Take Off Your Pants and Jacket era. The Hüskers’ debut is more complete than the Blinkers, I think.
Punch Drunk
Love a song that sounds like its title (complimentary).
Bricklayer
From what I understand, bricklaying is a methodical, laborious process. That is, uh, not how I’d describe this song.
Afraid of Being Wrong
Hey, me too. This one is my favorite chorus so far.
Sunshine Superman
Having never heard the original Donovan song, I’m willing to bet this cover is better than the original. Per Wikipedia, a 1983 Trouser Press review of the album called this version of the song “disrespectful,” which only endears it to me more.
Signals From Above
20 seconds of noise to start a song that is 1:40 long, hell yeah.
Everything Falls Apart
Lyrics do not seem to have anything to do with the Chinua Achebe novel. Chorus pedal and more open chords on the guitar are a welcome tone shift after a few blistering tracks. I really like this song, and I think we’re far enough along to say I’m definitely going to be listening to more Hüsker Dü.
Wheels
A touch repetitive, but absolutely this band can play their instruments better than like 90% of the 80s punk bands. Grant Hart is an interesting and energetic drummer, which are huge factors that play into whether I like a drummer or not.
Target
lol the ending to this song is great
Obnoxious
Love a song that sounds like the title (complimentary). Kind of amazed at how much they cram into such short songs.
Gravity
Sick groove to start the song, both the drum intro and the verse riff from the guitar. Another purely good songwriting song that happens to be fast and loud. Unlike most other tracks on the album, this one’s over three minutes. Solid, solid album-ender.
WHAT DO I THINK?
Notably, I am a huge fan of the short album. I am reading a novella right now, too, so it’s just a time for short things. I kind of love that this isn’t 20 super short songs that are hard to tell about after a while (looking at you, Rancid). This one’s definitely going in the rotation, and I’m going to be listening to more Hüsker. Good songwriting, very much a trio—not too many overdubs or anything. This is among the best that 80s punk has to offer.
Sorry you got an email,
Chris
- “post-punk” is probably the best descriptor for my writing, despite me only sort of understanding what it means ↩︎