Husker Du - Zen Arcade (1984) [24 bit FLAC] vinyl

  Genre: Pop/Rock
  Styles: Alternative, Indie Rock, College Rock, Punk
  Source: vinyl
  Codec: FLAC
  Bit Rate: ~ 2,900 kbps
  Bit Depth: 24
  Sampling Rate: 96,000 Hz

  A1 Something I Learned Today
  A2 Broken Home, Broken Heart
  A3 Never Talking To You Again
  A4 Chartered Trips
  A5 Dreams Recurring
  A6 Indecision Time
  A7 Hare Krsna

  B1. Beyond The Threshold
  B2 Pride
  B3 I'll Never Forget You
  B4 The Biggest Lie
  B5 What's Going On
  B6 Masochism World
  B7 Standing By The Sea

  C1 Somewhere
  C2 One Step At A Time
  C3 Pink Turns To Blue
  C4 Newest Industry
  C5 Monday Will Never Be The Same
  C6 Whatever
  C7 The Tooth Fairy And The Princess

  D1 Turn On The News
  D2 Recurring Dreams

  In many ways, it's impossible to overestimate the impact of Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade on the American rock underground in the '80s. It's the record that exploded the limits of hardcore and what it could achieve. Hüsker Dü broke all of the rules with Zen Arcade. First and foremost, it's a sprawling concept album, even if the concept isn't immediately clear or comprehensible. More important are the individual songs. Both Bob Mould and Grant Hart abandoned the strict "fast, hard, loud" rules of hardcore punk with their songs for Zen Arcade. Without turning down the volume, Hüsker Dü try everything -- pop songs, tape experiments, acoustic songs, pianos, noisy psychedelia. Hüsker Dü willed themselves to make such a sprawling record -- as the liner notes state, the album was recorded and mixed within 85 hours and consists almost entirely of first takes. That reckless, ridiculously single-minded approach does result in some weak moments -- the sound is thin and the instrumentals drag on a bit too long -- but it's also the key to the success of Zen Arcade. Hüsker Dü sound phenomenally strong and possessed, as if they could do anything. The sonic experimentation is bolstered by Mould and Hart's increased sense of songcraft. Neither writer is afraid to let his pop influences show on Zen Arcade, which gives the songs -- from the unrestrained rage of "Something I Learned Today" and the bitter, acoustic "Never Talking to You Again" to the eerie "Pink Turns to Blue" and anthemic "Turn On the News" -- their weight. It's music that is informed by hardcore punk and indie rock ideals without being limited by them.