Published on Dec 15, 2000
Grant Hart is back!
That is definitely good news to all Husker Du fans, especially
since Hart’s releases have been few and far between since Husker Du
broke up in 1987. The question is whether his latest CD,
Good News For Modern Man, is worth the wait. Well, for the
most part, indeed it is. This is a very good CD, but it’s not
without its flaws.
For example, the CD starts out on a curious note. “Think It Over
Now” is a catchy song reminiscent of the kind of songs Phil Spector
used to write for girl groups in the sixties, except that it is
given a grungy guitar treatment. The combination of these two
contrasting styles just do not work well together in my opinion,
making the song not as effective as it could be.
Much closer to the mark is the second song, “Nobody Rides For
Free”. This is much more assured and it displays Hart’s strengths
as a songwriter. The arrangement is heavy on piano and organ. The
first song notwithstanding,
Good News For Modern Man is very keyboard oriented giving
the CD a vaguely eighties feel, and obviously not at all like
Husker Du.
What is especially a clever arrangement is on the song “Run Run
Run To The Centre Pompidou”. Not only is this an interesting idea
for a song, which is about the hectic pace of a vacation in Paris,
but the instrumentation capture that hectic pace beautifully. Oddly
enough, the bridge of this song reminds me of Elvis Presley’s
“Suspicious Minds”, thanks to the backup singers.
Good News For Modern Man is a CD that takes a little while
to really sink in, but after several listens, certains gems start
making themselves known. The standout songs for me are “Seka Knows”
and “Remains To Be Seen”, two midtempo numbers with thoughtful
lyrics. They are about as good as any song Hart has written. Not
quite on the same level but also effective is the simple acoustic
tune “You Don’t Have To Tell Me Now”.
On the other end of the scale is the closer “Little Nemo”, a
curiousity dominated by piano and backwards organ loops that shows
Hart trying to tackle progressive rock (!). However, it doesn’t
sound so much like the band Yes, as it does a Jon Anderson side
project, especially with the strange keyboard ending.
Where
Good News For Modern Man falls short is on a pair of songs
that could have used rewrites. “A Letter From Ann Marie” seems to
be Hart’s attempt to write a big ballad. While the song is somewhat
appealing, it is too lyrically slight to be the big number it wants
to be. Also, the constant repetition of the chorus makes the song
overlong and somewhat annoying at the end. The same can be said for
“In A Cold Heart”. This starts off very well but runs out of steam
at the end.
Good News For Modern Man will no doubt please Hart fans, but
I wonder if the idiosyncrancies will put off those that are not
diehard fans. It lacks the urgency of his former bandmate Bob
Mould’s solo work, but it has its charms and some solid
songwriting. Overall, this is a welcome return for Hart.