Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

I first heard Grant Hart, who died on September 13, 2017 at the tragically young age of 56, on   Hüsker Dü ' s Candy Apple Grey , the band's underrated and oft-maligned major label debut from 1986. As a fan of Bob Mould's Sugar, I decided to finally take the plunge into  Hüsker Dü 's catalog, and this was the first album I was able to find. By Candy Apple Grey , the band had nearly perfected their poppy power trio attack, mixing heavy, buzzsaw guitars with power pop affectations. Those elements were always there, even on 1981's raucous, live album Land Speed Record and the hardcore, yet melodic, Everything Falls Apart.  By 1986, after several more seminal records ( Zen Arcade , New Day Rising ,  Flip Your Wig ) in the hardcore/indie cannon, they perfected the form. Alternating between Mould's generally faster songs that increasingly relied on pop sensibilities and Hart's more lyrically-and vocally-focused songwriter paeans, both revolving heavily around ...

Matthew Sweet's "Sick of Myself," the first track from 100% Fun is the type of pure power pop mastery that is good for whatever ails your tired old soul. From the palm-muted opening to the first full clean power chords, the song makes its intentions known, rocking heavily with tight drumming and blasting guitars. The song was a call-to-arms in 1995, and its even better now. Sweet's everyman vocals have a bit of sweetness to them, and it sounds like he's having so much fun. The track harks back to 20/20, the solo work of Chris Bell, and the like, but there is a larger guitar presence, if not a Phil Spector attention to detail. Sweet doesn't take himself too seriously and even with the backing of guitar legends Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd, both members of the far artier, yet no less explosive Television, the song maintains a ramshackle vibe. Listen to the sloppy, but spectacular, solos. Sweet's lyrical bent is pure power pop love and loss. His word ...

20. Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth (Merge) John Darnielle needs little introduction. He consistently writes and releases literary, life-affirming records that show up on yearly best-of lists. Since he started recording with a full band, Darnielle has crafted works of quiet beauty with an attention to more intricate instrumentation. Yet something has been missing since 2006's Get Lonely , and I found myself listening less. Darnielle's story-telling seemed to be stuck in a rut; his songs became samey and trite. Maybe I had listened for too many years and I needed a break. Transcendental Youth changes that; Darnielle seems to be back on the right path. He is less concerned with song cycles and instruments, and more focused on crafting lovely, literate songs. 19. Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now (Bloodshot) While not as strong as the last two, Earle's new record is still excellent. There is never a truly bum...