Hüsker Dü
Warehouse: Songs And Stories

THE REVIEW

The history of rock would surely have been better if some bands had thrown in the towel in time, avoiding long and somewhat embarrassing "agonies" or unexpected reunions. But how many bands can say they've disbanded at their peak, in the phase of their creative zenith, after releasing their most accomplished work? They can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Hüsker Dü ("do you remember?" in Swedish) from Minneapolis definitely fit within that handful. Indeed, after the release of this monumental "Warehouse: Songs And Stories" in 1987, the trio, comprised of Bob Mould, Greg Norton, and Grant Hart, after violent disputes exacerbated by serious drug issues particularly on the part of drummer and co-writer Hart, decided to end the story of a band whose influence and significance have only grown the further we get from that fateful year.

After about six years as independents, marked by an abrasive, raw, lightning-fast hardcore that still challenges hi-fi systems today, masterfully encapsulated in works like the double album "Zen Arcade", the band progressively gravitated towards a sound, always powerful and energetic, but more inclined towards melody. With "Warehouse", the second title after "Candle Apple Grey" released under the major label Warner, this "cold fusion" between pop and punk succeeds perhaps in an unrepeatable way.
The "guitar-bass-drums" sound of our trio has few equals in terms of power and fullness. It is truly hard to believe that those twenty tracks, almost all adrenaline-fueled and around three minutes, are played by only three people. A true wall of sound awaits the fortunate ones who have yet to discover them. But behind that thick and shiny armor, which alone is worth the purchase, they will discover subtle yet solid and enjoyable melodies, intertwining and merging with those hard, angular riffs, creating a blend that perfectly coexists with the best characteristics of the two genres, usually considered polar opposites.

From this incandescent material, skillfully cooled, our trio, displaying the combined talents of ancient blacksmiths and Murano masters, creates memorable songs, not lacking intelligent lyrics (the "Stories" in the title) that mix a certain spleen, commitment, and irony.
It is hard to choose among those twenty tracks: indecision reigns supreme, akin to standing before a rich box of chocolates. Perhaps worth mentioning, without taking away from the others, are at least the explosive opening of "These Important Years", the Beatles-like but at triple speed "Ice Cold Ice", the iron fist in a velvet glove of "It's Not Peculiar", the ironic and carefree rock 'n' roll of "Actual Condition" ("Well the actual condition of my mind / Is elusive as the answers that I find / I keep going through transition / From doubt to indecision / It's the actual condition of my mind"), the willful optimism of "No Reservations".

From the Hüsker Dü "Warehouse," many, even in recent times, have taken something, some without even thanking them. But few have come close to their dazzling outcomes.