Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
Beethoven [Original recording remastered]
Brahms: Souvenir de la Russie Anh4/6; Sonata in Fm Op34b
Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Tragic Overture in Dm Op81
Amazon.com essential recording
The first four seconds of this influential Minneapolis trio's fifth album pretty much set the table: drum shots like an anxious heartbeat, then a sudden wall of fuzzy, high-treble electric-guitar noise. The choruses are occasionally catchy, especially on "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill," but this is more like the intense Zen Arcade than more melodic later albums. (A rare pace change, the girl-obsessed "Books About UFOs" actually recalls Bruce Springsteen.) Bassist Greg Norton, who rarely gets mentioned in Hüsker reviews, sews together Bob Mould's power guitar, Grant Hart's head-banging beats, and general ensemble screaming. --Steve Knopper