RS 500 Album Review: 488. New Day Rising (1984) by Husker Du

I've always had something of a tough time getting into punk, I think. Typically, I'm a melody guy, and while I can definitely appreciate some hardcore punk (I definitely enjoy bands like Minor Threat and Misfits), it can be kind of a barrier for me at times. New Day Rising, however, is an entirely different beast. Yes, at its core, it's still punk, but Husker Du here has an ear for melody that might've raised the ire of some punks back in the day, but also created some infectious punk rock that doesn't sacrifice an ounce of its raw power and force. You can tell they're not sacrificing an inch of their sound just from the opening title track, which just blares this abrasive guitar lead and then takes off. That kind of raw power is on display on tracks like "Celebrated Summer" and "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill," but the former also has an incredibly strong melody carrying it through, and in the second half, even has a very notable dip into a much slower style. "Books About UFO's" also maintains a strong melody throughout even through the incredibly distortion and fuzz, for probably one of the album's most upbeat songs. Then there's the tracks where the band starts getting weird towards the end. "How to Skin A Cat" is a noisy cacophony of weird phrases about "feeding the cats to the rats" and abstract guitar jams that only gets more frantic as it goes on, and all to great effect. New Day Rising is diverse like that.  It's, in many ways, just as creative as it is hardcore.

Rating 4/5

RS 500 Album Review: 489. Destroyer (1976) by KISS

This is the record that cemented KISS as a rock icon, in a lot of ways. While it would've never gotten the attention it did without the live album Alive! preceding it, its success is still truly its own. And yet, I remember essayist and cultural commentator, Chuck Klosterman, once saying that "historically, people will not remember the music of KISS; what they'll remember is the idea of KISS." That's something I've always held pretty firm to, myself, though even I'll call a good album when I see one, so I went into this album leaving my expectations at the door. What I got was a very uneven record, to say the least. When it's good, it's arena rock and anthemic hard rock at its finest. The unfortunate thing is it's not always good. In particular, there's some truly terrible ballads in "Great Expectations" and "Beth." The fact that it took "Beth" being issued as a single for the record to finally start selling and eventually going platinum is so odd to me, especially since this is KISS, for god's sake, hard rock icons, not light rock staples. The fortunate thing is that there's nothing else quite as bad as those two songs on the rest of the record, and while I might have some qualms about the more repetitive tracks like "Flaming Youth" and "Shout It Out Loud," these tracks still have a good energy to them. Meanwhile, the highlights of the record really shoot for the stars. As far as album openers, "Detroit Rock City" probably ranks among one of the best, and it easily stands out as the best thing I've ever heard KISS produce. Meanwhile, tracks like "God of Thunder" really reach for some real ambitious arena rock, moreso than one would expect from a band like KISS. In short, this is an album where the highs are absolutely fantastic while the lows are almost unlistenable. I'm conflicted, in that regard. But of course, at the end of the day, this is KISS. What you're here for isn't the music, it's the idea.

Rating: 2.5/5

RS 500 Album Review: 490. Tres Hombres (1973) by ZZ Top

You really just need to listen to the riff at the start of "La Grange" once to understand why this album is considered to be so influential. Even if you didn't know the song's name, that riff has been embedded in the blues rock and hard rock DNA since the record came out in the early 70's despite the original single release only peaking at #33 on Billboard. The track's earworm of a riff, however, is only the start of a bluesy romp inspired by a brothel located on the outskirts of La Grange, Texas. ZZ Top are, of course, good Texans and have no qualms about reppin their homestead. But Tres Hombres is more than just "La Grange." The record is packed front to back with memorable riffs, grimy guitars, and soulful vocals from the tres hombres themselves, though Billy Gibbons takes most of the main vocal duties. It's also a very concise record. It's all killer, no filler, and a scant 33 minutes. Tracks like "Master of Sparks" and "Precious and Grace" have very heavy and very sharp riffs that chunk and grind, feeling sloppy but also laser focused. That's what a lot of this record is. There's nothing too flashy, and if anything, I might criticize it for not doing anything too wild with its blues rock sound, but not every record needs to shake the boat. Sometimes, delivering a hard rock classic is all you need.

Rating: 3.5/5