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Hüsker Dü were in limbo in 1985. Their relationship with SST was starting to sour after the legendary Twin Cities band’s release of New Day Rising, and by the end of the year they were in talks with major labels (September’s Flip Your Wig stayed with Greg Ginn’s label, but Warner swept in soon after). Now, five live recordings from the top of 85, split between those aforementioned albums, were unearthed and freshened up by the archival titans at Numero Group, who also put out the group’s 2017 box set Savage Young Dü.
Don’t expect a bootleg. The hometown show at Minneapolis venue First Avenue was recorded to 24-track tape for an intended release that never came to fruition. Jan. 30, First Ave Pt. 1 highlights the band’s brash, pop-pushing punk, proving that good things come in threes. Their raw presence surely silenced a few naysayers who, at the time, thought their melodic inclinations and genre bleed pointed towards a “commercial” sound. Some people don’t know what they’ve got until it’s gone … and then recovered by the label that introduced Duster to Gen Z.  - Madeline Frino
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Jul 8, 2025

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👏👏👏👏 and the mats
Jul 18, 2025

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Obviously your mileage may vary based on your tolerance for hardcore punk, but if you're so inclined, this was their last show before going on hiatus for a few years. The raw energy in the room is unfathomable; skip to the last two minutes if you don't believe me.
That hiatus is when two side projects really started taking off, too. Justice (the vocalist) started pumping out Angel Du$t albums, and Brendan (the drummer) started to become much better-known for his band Turnstile... Astute viewers will notice Franz from Turnstile singing around 39 minutes into this set as well! This show, to me, feels like a big bang that sent those two bands hurtling towards the 2020s to redefine the genre.
Oct 15, 2024
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A lot of music I listen to is only available on youtube - Most of the bands were small DIY bands that just made tapes or a 7” that you can’t find anywhere. So I'm thankful for the people that have ripped these to the internet for me and plenty of other people to discover. Bulldoze was a band from NY formed in the early 90’s that pioneered the “beatdown” style blahblahblah. Many have tried (and failed) to create a demo as good as this. Since it’s been available on streaming platforms I listen to it on my commute at least once a week. I love reading the comments from the last couple of generations talking about memories they have of the bands who got stabbed at what show and whatever. Greatest of all time shit for me.(1:53 for what really gets me going)
Dec 30, 2021
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A documentary that was born all because someone once found a 7” single from an unknown Detroit band by the name of Death. Turns out the band of 3 brothers had essentially nailed the sound of punk music years before it had become a thing. As a result of the documentary the band reunited and began touring again, decades after breaking up.

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What if the entire Splice library was launched into the ether, prompting a Pokemon-esque scavenger hunt to catch ‘em all? This is what ear pulls off. And yet, the duo’s voices are the best instruments in the mix. Chopped notes and cheeky whispers and sharp breaths abound in their latest singles, “Fetish” and “Valley Serpent.” A cut-and-sew craft project of a song, “Fetish” shows impressive restraint for as long as possible before mutating multiple times. It’s not just a glazed ambient track, or bass-boosted electronic, or .5 speed breakcore. The disjointed lyrics are hypnotically aphasic, as if having a stroke could be a beautiful experience. “Valley Serpent” has the same structureless setup, shrouding a poignant piano ballad in blown-out artificial noise. For all they add, they know when to get minimal. The gentle recitation “feels like a burden” is scripted to haunt. The most Lynchian release of the year! - Madeline Frino
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The Norwegian experimental musician Håvard Volden has the CV of a lifer. For over a decade, he has played in the experimental rock band Moon Relay. For coming up on two decades, he has been a collaborator with the Norwegian singer and songwriter Jenny Hval. So it’s fitting that his new record is called Small Lives. It’s full of jazzy, experimental guitar music that lives on the edges of multiple genres, which is also befitting of an artist whose seasoned approach to the guitar is accommodating of a variety of methodologies and traditions. As a whole, it’s a pleasant listen, its moderate dissonance taking on a vaguely ECM feel at times, its guitar playing nodding to folk and rock and drone, its tactile electronics dancing in the corners of the composition. What is the ideal listening environment for this record? Headphones and a couch wouldn’t hurt. - editorial
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The name of the British artists Worldpeace DMT and Rowan Please’s new release, The Velvet Underground and Rowan, harkens back to the iconic album that Brian Eno once claimed launched a million projects. It’s a befitting reference for two artists in their own burgeoning gallerina-punk scene. It’s experimental in a topical way, indebted to the internet, and filled with silly sounds, stuff like squeaks and boings and chiptune motifs. Worldpeace DMT plays perfectly with Please, who is one half of two-hit wonder The Femcels.
In spite of its off-kilter quirk, the record is chock full of cloying earworms and pop sensibilities. On “Love Yourself,” the Leonard Cohen-esque line “Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the sand” is quickly followed by “sorry that I fucked your dude.” There’s seemingly an emo influence, which is also present on unfettered, shouty tracks like “Numbers” and “Hey Marshmallow.” The 60s come back full force on “Marina,” complete with handclaps and melodic familiarity. “The Ledge” covers a Fleetwood Mac classic and briefly interpolates “Blitzkrieg Bop.” All the harmonica and strings and bitcrushed buzz can’t distract from the fact that the bones of this music would be impressive on their own … But a little fun never hurts. - Madeline Frino