Beginning with its incendiary title track--a battle cry consisting of three chords and three howled words (guess which)--1985's NEW DAY RISING is an audio hand grenade showcasing the increasing might of Husker Du. The record has the hallmarks of the mid- to late-period Husker records: impassioned vocals, Mould's buzzsaw guitar, Hart's crisp, trebly drumming and not a whole lot of bottom. Bob Mould sounds as angry as ever. His primal, sour-toned vocals seem to come straight from his viscera on such explosive numbers as "I Apologize" and "Powerline," but he also shows unexpected tenderness in moments like the hushed middle section and coda of the anthemic "Celebrated Summer."
Grant Hart continues to present a slightly sunnier counterpoint to Mould's dark obsessions, especially on the incongruously cheerful "Books About UFOs" and the bouncy rocker "Terms of Psychic Warfare," but he still seethes on powerful cuts like "If I Told You" and "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill." Slices of gleeful chaos like "How to Skin a Cat" and ""Whatcha Drinkin'" show the group's fondness for noise for noise's sake, and the closing "Plans I Make" is nothing short of a sonic meltdown.
Husker Du: Bob Mould (vocals, guitar); Grant Hart (vocals, drums); Greg Norton (bass).
Personnel: Bob Mould (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, percussion, background vocals); Grant Hart (vocals, piano, drums, percussion, background vocals); Greg Norton (background vocals).
Spin (5/01, p.108) - Ranked #8 in Spin's "50 Most Essential Punk Records" - "...Sunday-morning punk....like going from January to May in a single afternoon..." Alternative Press (7/95, p.77) - Ranked #8 in AP's list of the `Top 99 Of '85-'95' - "...The beauty [of NEW DAY RISING] is that the yearning in Mould's voice and the belly-button picking self-esteem of Hart's characters were perfect fodder for adolescent absorption. Husker Du were our Beach Boys. Only surf was definitely not up in the '80s, but splitting a 12-pack in a Minneapolis basement did just fine..."
Overlooked Classic If there was a god this would be playing endlessly on the next gen classic rock stations. Submitted by bstry (Arlington VA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
A Cheerful Post-Punk Milestone Bright, concise, at times downright ebullient, New Day Rising is an abrupt stylistic departure from Husker Du's previous record, Zen Arcade. Where Zen was somber New Day is optimistic. This album affirms that girls are cute, reverie is fun, and life is good! These are punk songs filtered through the pop idiom, yet they maintain their punk integrity. The future never looked so bright. Submitted by jsib (Formerly of Minnesota) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Raw, Powerful, Brilliant! This album sounds really lo-fi and is not the Huskers at their most consistent but there's no denying the power of whats on this cd. Beginning with the 3 chord, 3 word, epic "New Day Rising" and ending with the sloppy, hardcore jam "Plans I Make" this album packs quite a punch. What elevates Husker Du and this album in particular above other hardcore bands is their keen, no amazing sense of melody. "Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" is a soaring minor-key number that manages to be overpoweringly emotional yet not sappy and cloying like the 3rd rate emo that we see today. "I Apologize" is so catchy and wonderfully played that you cannot help getting sweeped away with its uplifting optimistic melody. "Celebrated Summer" is a stunning song, with a great acoustic middle-section which is probably the only quiet spot on the album. New Day Rising is poorly produced, unless you're a lo-fi noise fan, and it does have some less than fantastic moments, but it one of the best full-on rock/punk/hardcore/alternative/indie/(sometimes) pop albums of all-time. Timeless. Submitted by dj2718 (long beach, ny) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
A watershed in Punk/Hardcore! This album has to be the first "pop" hardcore album ever. The guitars are cranked as loud in the mix as possible, but the music is VERY melodic! Bob Mould growls his cajones off, and Grant Hart screams like a wailing banshee. There is next to no bottom(the only drawback),but this is as loud as it gets, anyway. Best song: Grant Hart's "The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill", which is a VERY powerful love song, and ironically, it is the loudest song on the album! Grant simply SCREAMS the lyrics as if it was the last thing he would sing!! Very riveting stuff! Submitted by Bangsmith (Heaven Hill!!!) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 2 found this helpful.
Overlooked Classic
A Cheerful Post-Punk Milestone
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