Grant Hart - Good News For Modern Man

After six years without a proper album, and even that being a bit of a disappointment, is it that surprising that I approached this album with a little trepidation?

But, in fact, Grant's post Huskers career has been a let down in only one respect - the exponential increase in time between album releases. On the whole the albums have been pretty good. So a quick re-listen to the other albums persuaded me to order this from the States. (I'm not aware that it's had a UK release yet, although typically Jungle.com were advertising it only a week after I had ordered it.)

But before I tell you if 'Good News…' is any good, first a recap for the uninitiated.

Grant was of course the singing drummer from college radio faves the hugely influential Husker Du. Subsequently Grant perhaps made a few bad choices but certainly attracted the sort of luck which would have you vacating your seat next to him on a plane, just in case. I think that it's fair to say that Bob Mould, probably due to his higher profile, has had imposed on him a great deal of the retrospective credit for Husker Du. I'd never suggest that Bob doesn't deserve great credit - it's just that many of my favourite Husker songs were written by Grant and I feel that his low profile in the last 10 years or so has seen him, somewhat unfairly, critically neglected.

1989's excellent solo debut 'Intolerance', like Bob's 'Workbook', was a marked departure from the sound of Husker Du. Musically it was a very light album, largely moving away from the guitar heavy Huskers, and the variety of the songs was welcome, even if there's a feeling that 1 or 2 might lack some substance.

Grant's next album saw him back in a band context and, in forming Nova Mob, he moved back towards the guitar-bass-drums sound of Husker Du. The only disappointing feature of their debut, 'The Last Days of Pompeii', was the occasionally slightly uninspired guitars, and even then that was partly compensated for by Tom Merkl's inventive bass. OK the Nazi-scientist-escapes-back-in-time-to-Pompeii lyrics were bizarre to say the least, but 'Last Days' is a great selection of songs, showcasing Grant's typically strong melodies and voice. Long deleted, 'Last Days' is well worth tracking down. (NB Apparently Grant is considering reissuing the album, although Boxman still have it in their catalogue.)

1993's 'Nova Mob' is therefore the only record that left me underwhelmed. Listening to it again recently, the songs are better than I tend to think, but even the better songs get drowned in a wash of insipid production which blunts any edge the record might have had.

Fast forwarding to the present day (noting the solo live "Ecco Homo" in passing) has the six-year wait for the new album been worth it? Is the title a hostage to fortune? The answers, refreshingly, are "YES!!!" and "No" respectively. In fact the "Yes" is emphatic as it's been a wee while since an album has grabbed my metaphorical turntable and dominated the playlist in the way that 'Good News…' has.

For a start 'Good News…' incorporates the breadth of sound of 'Intolerance' and applies it liberally to the guitar pop of Nova Mob. So the opener 'Think It Over', a pretty straightforward guitar rocker, which wouldn't sound out of place on even 'Nova Mob', is somewhat unrepresentative of the whole album. This is what you expect Grant to sound like, but that's the only criticism of a very strong (and brief) song.

'Nobody Rides For Free' takes the same basic template but successfully grafts some pianos, organs and even some horns to a more uplifting melody. The intro suggests for a brief moment that the song could be a cover of the Stone Roses' 'Waterfall', but thankfully insipid doesn't enter into the equation at all. You may feel that this sounds like it may veer dangerously close to MOR, but it doesn't, principally because of Mr Hart's voice, and this song already suggests that this album IS going to be a step in the right direction.

'Run Run Run to the Centre Pompidou' could again be off 'Nova Mob' - it's a reasonably straightforward rocker with obligatory daft chorus - but it's the last song you could say that about. We're into heartfelt ballad territory next on 'You Don't Have To Tell Me Now', and ballads have always been one of Grant's strengths. The piano intro briefly recalls 'The Main' off 'Intolerance', but the hearfelt vocal about loss creates a different mood entirely.

The next song 'Teeny's Hair' raises the stakes considerably - the backing is effectively weird, unsettling noise melded with a plaintiff keyboard melody and the usual melancholic Hart vocal.

"A Letter From Ann-Marie" is an effective, gorgeous pop song which moves back to slightly more upbeat territory, although there's a minor quibble as the second half of the song is dominated by a chorus which probably overstays its welcome.

The arrival of 'Cold House' is heralded by a punishing, metallic bass riff which drives the song into vaguely menacing territory. Add in more organs and you've got a great track. 'Seka Knows' is also driven by some very Doorsy keyboards which carry another of these wonderful Grant melodies that can bear any amount of repetition.

"Remains to be Seen" is one of the more unassuming tracks on the record - stuck away towards the end, it's probably the sort of track that could be overlooked. Which would be a shame. It follows what could almost be the classic Hart structure - melancholy verse and uplifting chorus but this is a successful formula.

There's a weird wee discordant instrumental based more on rhythm than melody which works quite well before 'Little Nemo’, which is presumably meant to be the big finale.

The song's structure is a bit odd - the typically wonderful Hart melody builds from a whisper through the first half of the song into your typically euphoric chorus - then the second half heads off in a weird repeating motif. Although the song almost dissolves smoothly the end result is quite jarring, partly due to the fact that you don't want to lose the song that's built up to that point. The structure is in some ways similar to what Sonic Youth did with 'Mote', although the effect here is somewhat more melodic but by no means any less unsettling for that.

So you'll have gathered that 'Good News... ' is, in actual fact, good news after all. It's a bit of a grower as well. When I started this review I felt that it was good but perhaps not Grant's 'Copper Blue'. Now I'm not so sure. The only real gripe is the occasionally muddy production. You feel that Grant was aiming for a Spector-like Wall of Sound on songs like 'Nobody Rides For Free' but that the end result isn't quite there.

But ultimately this is a very minor gripe. The songs are all fantastic and Grant hasn't sounded in such good voice for a very long time.

One last thing - Grant - get the finger out! I don't think I could bear to wait until 2012 for the next album.

[Grant Hart Index] ***** [Husker Du Index]