Listening to Husker Du - Zen Arcade in one sitting is a feat! These 23 songs do not rattle off in 1.5min clips like something off of Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand, these songs take time. I got this CD recently after having not really listened to them in about a decade. A high school friend of mine's dad was really into them and lent me a bunch of their cassette tapes that I listened to over and over again. He used to tell stories about having seen Husker Du and Black Flag in concert back in the early 80s and all the craziness surrounding that time and that music scene. The mark that this band left on rock music is undeniable.
By the second song on the album, 'Broken Home, Broken Heart', you can hear the great classic punk sensibilities in their music and then they shift ever so slightly and totally rock out on 'Chartered Trips'. 'Hare Krsna' sounds like someone breaking glass with sleigh bells while a bunch of methadone addicts have a sing-off, and it's great! More breaking glass makes an appearance at the end of 'Pride'. Seems like someone had a new favorite effect back in 1984.
By the time the album gets to 'Beyond the Threshold', one of my coworkers asks me, "What is this brain stew you have us listening to this morning?" I got a similar response when I tried to play Bad Brains - Banned in DC a couple of months ago. Apparently, these guys do not appreciate hardcore.
When he screams in 'I Will Never Forget You', you have no choice but to believe him. He sounds like he means it. There are a lot of solid track throughout the album. I really like 'Pink Turns to Blue', and the transition from 'Monday Will Never Be The Same' to 'Whatever' is great. There's a great use of antiphony (call & repeat vocals) in 'Turn On The News'. The album ends with 'Reoccurring Dreams', which is 13min and 47sec of blissfully fragmented indie rock and a great ending for this album.
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