Following the breakthrough double album, "Zen Arcade", the Minneapolis based trio turns in their 4th long player 6 months after Zen's impact was yet to be fully felt and this era of the group proved to be extremely prolific and prosperous within an artistic point of view. Bob Mould and Grant Hart were the group's Lennon/McCartney if you will, and from the opening title cut which rages with slash and burn, punk-ish guitar and driving drums backed with bassist Greg Norton, providing the solid pulse with some breakneck bass lines that swim and swarm throughout the record's duration, its apparent that the group known as Husker Du have hit a top of sorts within their realm, perhaps without realizing it. The music on this record is so relentless and yet incredibly melodic that one can't help but think that these guys have hit a specific vein within the indie rock underground that was burgeoning through with the likes of their peers in Bad Brains, The Cramps, The Replacements and others and yet they are set apart from those same bands as a result of their ensemble chemistry and songwriting crafts. 

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Pivotal cuts are "Celebrated Summer", which has a driving heavily distorted guitar tone from the hands of Mr. Mould and features a softer, acoustic picked section during the latter half of the number, introducing further growth from their garage-punk tendencies. Hart's numbers in "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill", "Terms of Psychic Warfare", and "Books About UFO's" stand up against Mould's songs just as strongly, even though Mould dominates within the writing of this record, on future releases, Hart became just as prolific as Bob during this time period. Other great numbers on offer here are "I Apologize", "59 Times the Pain" and "Perfect Example" containing special nuances allowing their appeal  within Husker's repertoire thus far. Towards the end, the record echoes a lot of their garage rock beginnings with the melodic thrash of "I Don't Know What You're Talking About" and "Whatcha Drinkin'", the odd melody and lyrical scheme of "How to Skin a Cat" and the record's closer, "Plans I Make". With "Plans I Make", the record ends much as it began from the beginning, with a relentless drive of loud guitars, propelling bass and hastily, yet driving backbeats, courtesy of Grant Hart, ending in a wonderful ramshackle of a mess with Mould shouting and moaning the song's title awash of atonal feedback.

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This album is a cornerstone for the group and in a lot of ways, it bids goodbye to their early punk/thrash roots while making way for a more toned down melodic roar on forthcoming releases such as Flip Your Wig and Candy Apple Grey . Still, though, an important release regardless. 

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Rating Grade- A