For
New Day Rising
, the follow-up to their breakthrough double-album
Zen Arcade
,
Huesker Due
replaced concept with conciseness, concentrating on individual songs delivered as scalding post-
hardcore
pop
.
is not only a more vicious and relentless record than
, it's more melodic.
Bob Mould
and
Grant Hart
have written tightly crafted, melodic
songs that don't compromise
Huesker
's volcanic, unchecked power.
Mould
Hart
's songs owe a great deal to '60s
, as the verses and choruses ebb and flow with immediately catchy hooks. Occasionally, the razor-thin production and waves of noise mean that it takes a little bit of effort to pick out the melodies, but more often the furious noise and melodies fuse together to create an overwhelming sonic force. It's possible to hear the rivalry between
on the album itself -- each song is like a game of one-upmanship, as
responds to
"The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill"
with
"Celebrated Summer."
Neither songwriter slips -- both turn in songs that are catchy, clever, and alternately wracked with pain or teeming with humor.
is a positively cathartic record and ranks as
's most sustained moment of pure power. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine