Husker Du-Land Speed Record

On LAND SPEED RECORD, the Minnesota trio Husker Du debuted with a chaotic live recording that presented the band in all its unbridled early fury. One song ends, there is a burst of applause, then drummer Grant Hart counts off and the band once again hurtles forward in a maelstrom of shouted vocals, manic drums, and guitars like sheared metal. Call it hardcore, call it postpunk: it is pure, angry adrenaline. The 17 songs clock in at a brisk 26-and-a-half minutes, and titles like ‘Let’s Go Die, ‘Tired of Doing Things’ and ‘Don’t Have a Life’ convey the harsh, unforgiving spirit of the music.
LAND SPEED’s decidedly low-fidelity recording suits the primitive rage of the music. Clear production would almost miss the point; this stuff is pure id. It’s hard to make out the words here, but it\’s hard to miss the harsh desperation in the vocals. The watchwords on this exciting document are loud and fast. You can almost smell the mosh pit.