16 illinoisentertainer. com december 2025 of their third album, New Day Rising. Although the album signaled a continued shift away from hardcore punk toward pop punk and increasingly tuneful fare, the trio is reliably at full tilt from the word go. Title track " New Day Rising " finds the band repeating the optimistic title as a mantra, intertwining lines as Grant Hart hammers out a punishing punk two-beat and Bob Mould saws at blurring speed on his distorted guitar. The energy never flags as Mould howls the three-chord fury of " It ' s Not Funny Anymore." Impressive given the band ' s hot tempo, Mould peels off nimble guitar leads during Hart ' s new " The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill," while Greg Norton provides a steady eighth-note foundation on bass. In another universe, the amphetamine rush of Mould ' s melodic and harmony-laden " I Apologize " might have
been a shimmering roots-rocker like R. E. M.' s "( Don ' t Go Back to) Rockville." Mould has referred to the song as a legitimate mea culpa for unhinged behavior as a young alcoholic, and cites this " miracle year " as being near the end of his season as a heavy drinker. The set includes eight of the 15 songs from New Day Rising. The sentimental " Celebrated Summer " is notably not among them. Six songs from Flip Your Wig were previewed, with the album released eight months later that year. It ' s a thrill hearing the undeniably catchy " Makes No Sense at All " at such an early stage of its existence, since it continues into the present day as an engaging cornerstone of Mould ' s set lists. " Hate Paper Doll " swings with spite, leading a trio of Flip Your Wig songs that continues with Hart ' s pummeling and lovestruck " Green Eyes " and the cynical but accurate social statement " Divide and Conquer." Hart ' s tragic story " Pink Turns to Blue " is drawn from Zen Arcade and sounds like a hyperactive predecessor to the Replacements ' doomed tale " The Ledge." The band rips through the album ' s sympathetic screamer " Broken Home, Broken Heart." " Reoccurring Dreams " was performed, but doesn ' t appear on the recording. The set crescendos with a handful of classic covers, beginning with its rocketfueled version of the Byrds ' psychedelic rocker " Eight Miles High." Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum is on hand to join a breakneck cover of the Beatles ' " Helter Skelter," which is followed by a slashing trip through the
Fabs ' " Ticket to Ride." The band closes with its version of the sunny theme song to the Mary Tyler Moore Show, " Love is All Around." The sonic quality of the album is not amazing but perfectly acceptable, having been recorded with Twin / Tone Records ' mobile recording rig. It wouldn ' t hurt to have more of Norton ' s bass in the mix and a more careful vocal balance, but that also would have been less typical of ' 80s punk. Second disc More Miracles adds another 70 minutes ' worth of live takes, including energetic versions of Hüsker Dü essentials like Hart ' s " Don ' t Want to Know if You are Lonely " and " Sorry Somehow," both from the 1986 major-label debut and alternative rock genre touchstone Candy Apple Grey. Mould ' s songs from the unrecorded album include " I Don ' t Know for Sure." The jangling acoustic guitar that drives " Hardly Getting Over It " in the studio version is covered by Mould ' s roaring electric guitar in the live setting. Hearing versions of these songs that don ' t feature the dated ' 80s drum production sound evident on Candy Apple Grey is a welcome experience. Although bypassed during the First Avenue set, " Celebrate Summer " is included from a November 4, 1985, Blue Note in Boulder, Colorado, set. Hart can be heard going hoarse on harmony vocals while keeping the beat. Mould stretches into frenetic guitar excursions during the turbulent " Misty Modern Days " before Hart repeats the longing question " Will you be the one to stay forever?" The song was never officially released by the band but appears here from a show in Seattle.
For the many who know Hüsker Dü ' s titanic reputation as the frontrunners of alternative rock but never got to experience the band in its true element as a rising club act, this set is a great gift, offering more than two hours of unfiltered action. Capturing the band mid-sprint from its roots on SST Records toward Warner Brothers, The Miracle Year is a unique and worthwhile glimpse into 20th-century pop music history. The set is dedicated to Hart, who passed away in 2017.
– Jeff Elbel
8
OJO TAYLOR
BEHOLD( Innocent Media)
The first studio album by Ojo Taylor in more than 20 years signals a bold declaration of individuality, countered by an immediate denial of the ego. Entitled BEHOLD( stylized with a self-negating strikethrough), the work is simultaneously relatable and starkly personal. The music of BEHOLD defies clear labeling but will appeal to fans of alternative, gothic, world, and symphonic music. As the driving force behind the groundbreaking alternative rock band Undercover, Taylor created soulful, thoughtful, and symphonic rock music from the‘ 80s into the early‘ 00s. BEHOLD
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