HUSKER DU - Warehouse Songs And Stories

Artist:  Husker Du

Album: Warehouse Songs

Year:  19

Genre:  Modern Rock / Punk

The latter years of Husker Du saw them make heavy shifts away from the set-your-instruments-on-fire savagery of their early work.  For their final two studio releases, they signed to one of the biggest majors around, but, the reality was that nobody really knew what to do with their blend of punk esthetics and left of center sounds at the label.  During that time, bands like The Replacements and Husker Du weren’t the peerless, influential icons they are remembered as today.  When they were active, both bands were on the brink of something incredible, but struggled as they never reached more than an admirable underground level of success.  Radio stations and MTV also couldn’t make the round pegs fit in the square holes and were happy to keep these weird kids in a corner so as not to cause trouble.  Since these talented bands were deemed a bit too “alternative,” or what a pop audience thought was “punk,” neither of them were readily welcome to the mainstream rock party, even though their music created the infrastructure for the alternative explosion in the 90s.  By the time the world had come to accept the weirdos, and bands like REM and Soul Asylum had hit it mega huge, Husker Du and The Replacements were no more; missing out on the success that was rightfully theirs to share.  To this very day, the three men of Husker Du have not reunited once.

I cannot say that I’m a fan of every single EP and full-length the Huskers have done.  My love for Metal Circus, New Day Rising, Flip Your Wig and (most of) Candy Apple Grey heavily outweigh Land Speed Record, Everything Falls Apart and the fan and critic favorite Zen Arcade.  Admittedly, at this point, I don’t listen to anything off the last three albums I mentioned.  It’s not for a lack of effort on my part.  I’ve tried and tried again, especially with Zen Arcade, but those albums just don’t grab me at all.  With that said, I’m confident that my favorite Husker Du record is their closing effort, Warehouse Songs And Stories.

Why Warehouse Songs And Stories?  I believe it easily stands as their most complete and most accessible work.  Husker Du were known for their high musical output as they vigorously unleashed 11 studio releases in a 7-year span.  Common sense dictates that the more they released, the weaker the songs should be.  Well, they defied logic and ended with one of their most dense and solid releases.  The songwriting competition between Bob Mould and Grant Hart hit a pinnacle level with this record.  The battles and clashes within the Husker Du camp over getting songs on an album are legendary, with both Hart and Mould clawing and scratching to get their material on the final product.  Unfortunately, it also drove a non-healing wedge between the two songwriters and dug a consistently larger grave that soon, along with their other issues, would bury the band forever.  Yet, instead of the mass output being a detriment, their drive to outdo one another kept them sharp and writing the best material possible.  On Warehouse, the pop ability never shined through brighter from under the layer of punk-infused, noisy energy.   The album rumbles along at an expeditious pace with song after song throwing consistent 1-2 punches of zealous verses and knockout choruses.  Strangely, my favorite song, which is sandwiched between the energetic power pop assaults, is the Hart-penned “She Floated Away,” which stands in contrast to a great amount of their catalog with its rather traditional, seafaring melody, desultory rhythms and dissonant instrumentation.  It’s haunting without being dismal and a song I can hear again and again. 

Throughout their time, Husker Du musically morphed, twisted and turned, yet seemed to escape the scrutiny of a customarily fickle hardcore punk crowd.  Their progression from hyper-speed hardcore into high energy modern rock was a natural progression for three gifted musicians that sternly followed their vision.  After reading, Husker Du: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock, I’d say “contemptuous” is a strong description of the relationship within this band.  The fact they were able to create as many records as they did and tour without an earlier demise is amazing in itself and shows steadfast integrity and commitment that most bands would’ve crumbled under in the same type of conditions these guys created for themselves.  Warehouse Songs and Stories is an accomplished final nail in the coffin.  No, not every song is perfect, but even for a band as talented as Husker Du, 20 songs of perfection would be tough to achieve. The legacy of this band cannot be challenged.  The groundwork they laid is inseparable from the success of acts like The Pixies, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth, Jesus And Mary Chain, with so many more on that list.

Listen to "Standing In The Rain" here.