Hüsker Dü

After about a year or 2 of not having any new music in my iTunes library I decided I needed a change and took the plunge in getting new music. Some these artists include Neutral Milk Hotel, Pavement, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Stevie Wonder, and Vampire Weekend just to name a few but the band that really sticks out amongst the pack is Husker Du.

In 1979, the Minnesota 3 piece Alt Rock Hardcore Punk band formed its stand out sound in an area of the country not known for it's music scene. Husker Du consisted of Bob Mould on guitar, Grant Hart on drums and Greg Norton on bass with Mould and Hart as the primary writers of the band.

By 1980, Husker Du had already developed a name for themselves as they became the forefront of the Minnesota scene as they branched out and began playing nationally. By this time they had formed an alliance with the trailblazers of Hardcore Punk Rock; Black Flag. Husker Du soon signed with Black Flag's prestigious label SST which featured such bands as the Dead Kennedys' and the Minutemen. 

Husker Du went on to release their first album "Everything Falls Apart" in 1982 on SST. Some Stand out tracks on this album are "Blah Blah Blah," "Lets Go Die," and "Do You Remember" (which is actually what Husker Du means in Danish)

Following the mediocre success of "Everything Falls Apart," Husker Du released "Metal Circus" in 1983. "Metal Circus" broke away from their Hardcore Roots as they incorporated a melodic tone which immediately become popular with college kids as it spread through college radio stations across the country like wildfire. The stand out tracks on "Metal Circus" are "Deadly Skies," "It's not funny anymore," and "Diane."

With 1984, along came Husker Du's widely popular double album "Zen Arcade" which is considered as one of the greatest concept albums of all time and is frequently included as one of the greatest Rock albums of all time. A few Stand out tracks on this album are "Never Talking to you Again" and "Turn on the News."

In 1985 Husker Du would record "New Day Rising," their second to last album with SST before going on to sign with Warner Bros. Records. "New Day Rising" capitalizes on their widely popular underground success as Husker Du produced a masterpiece of an album in what many consider as their climax as a band. The Stand out tracks on this album are "The girl who lives on heaven hill," "Celebrated Summer," "Terms of Psychic Warfare," and "Books about UFOs."

By the time of the release of their last album for SST "Flip Your Wig" in 1985, tensions between Grant Hart and Bob Mould began to boil. At this time Grant Hart began an addiction to heroin which he wouldn't recover from till well after Husker Du broke up. "Flip Your Wig's" stand out tracks are "Makes no sense at all"and "Divide and Conquer."

1986 saw the release of the band's sixth album "Candy Apple Grey," which was their first album with Warner Bros. By now the creative and producing control of their material between Hart and Mould was creating a division in the band. The Stand out tracks on this album are "Don't want to know if you are lonely," "Sorry Somehow," and "No Promise Have I made."

By 1987 the tension in the band reached a head as Husker Du's manager David Savoy committed suicide on the eve of the release their final album "Warehouse: Songs and Stories" due to the fact that he didn't want to pick sides between Hart and Mould in what Mould would later take responsability in an interview with British magazine "Q" as Mould went on to say "he was being forced into a two-faced situation."

After a show in 1987 in Columbia, Missouri, Husker Du fell apart as a band. At this time Hart was attempting to quit heroin by way of methadone but his bottle of the substance had leaked. Mould and Norton were concerned that Hart would not be able to play the next few shows as Mould went ahead and canceled the next few show dates. Four days later Hart quit Husker Du.

Since the break up of Husker Du, Mould and Hart have had success with music seperatley in such bands as Sugar and Nova Mob. In 2004, after a 17 year silence, Mould and Hart played an impromptu set at a benefit concert for fellow Minnesota musician Karl Mueller, the bassist for Soul Asylum who has since succumbed to cancer. Mould would later write on his blog that the set was a last minute suggestion suggestion by Hart and shouldn't kindle any "false hopes" of a reunion.

If anybody made it through my lengthy romancing write up of this band I commended you and actually suggest to leave a comment on whether or not if I should continue this type of musical review of music I like or if I should dump it like a bag of Moldy Tangerines.