Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade

Zen Arcade isn't as much of an album as it as a journey. That journey is a tumultuous, bleak one; the album tells the story of a boy who leaves a troubled family life only to discover, after a series of misfortunes and mistakes, that the world outside his home is even worse. Breaking new ground in the genre, inspiring entire generations of offbeat alternative rockers, and, to some extent, even the modern emo scene, Zen Arcade is undeniably one of, if not the most, influential albums of the 80's. Instead of limiting themselves to the hardcore punk that populated their previous albums, so reckless and raging it could smash a brick wall, lead songwriters Mould and Hart branch out a little bit, incorporating folksy acoustic ditties, monotonous psychedelic tape loops, and a feedback-heavy jam called "Reoccurring Dreams" that's almost fifteen minutes long.

This isn't to say that the album is without it's flaws. You simply can't have a magnificent, sprawling punk opera without your fair share of filler, and Zen Arcade is no exception. However, some of the album's lesser songs work exceedingly well in capturing and building the mood of this furiously theatrical masterpiece. We get an introspective look at the pains of separation and divorce in "Broken Home, Broken Heart", glimpse heartbreak in "Never Talking To You Again", and feel an overwhelming sense of adventure as soon as "Chartered Trips" kicks in. The middle provides some interesting albeit repetitive material, but the record's truly memorable moments occur within its closing tracks. "The Tooth Fairy and the Princess", a mesmerizing piece of pseudo-psychedelia, provides the perfect segue into the album-defining "Turn on the News", Bob Mould's brash views of the media's tendencies to hype modern horrors for fun profit. But these pale in comparison to the record's closer, "Reoccurring Dreams"; never has an album's music felt so tied to its artwork like the pale, lonely cover of Zen Arcade is to the frantic, rushed sounds of a fourteen-minute jam session that terminates an ungodly sprawl of musical numbers. Zen Arcade reigns today as the Bible of alternative rock, a title it may never lose.

Final Score: 95/100