12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums

PopMatters' '80s alt-rock primer spotlights the essential alternative rock albums from the broad genre's rich and diverse early years.

                                      
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Bleached: The Beatles' White Album Effect on the US Alt-rock Explosion of 1988-95

The 21 Best Album Re-Issues of 2017

'Complicated Fun' Is a Thorough Study of the Glory Days of the Twin Cities Punk and Indie Scenes

Counterbalance: Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade

Something I learned today: Black and white is always grey. And this week's Counterbalance takes a look at a 1984 turning point in punk. Turn on the news for the 219th most acclaimed album of all time.

Bob Mould: Beauty & Ruin

Legends like Bob Mould are held to a different standard, and Beauty & Ruin has just raised his bar higher.

Hüsker Dü's Grant Hart to Release New Album (stream)

Hüsker Dü's Grant Hart has a new solo project releasing this summer via Domino Records.

The Fishing Journal: The Fishing Journal EP

A dispatch in lo-fi aggression, the eponymous EP from Columbia, South Carolina’s the Fishing Journal is an affair more focused on catharsis than on creating new tributaries in the indie rock landscape.

'Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements' Paints 'Minor Band' with Major Strokes

The first-ever documentary about The Replacements reminds fans that we are not alone in our firm belief that the Minneapolis misfits should have been as big as The Rolling Stones.

Bob Mould: 7 September 2012 - New York

Bob Mould gave a great performance to a barely half full audience at Williamsburg Park.

Sugar: Copper Blue / File Under: Easy Listening (Deluxe Editions)

Well-positioned after the ascension of the Alternative Nation, Bob Mould's post-Hüsker Dü band managed two great albums (and an EP) in its short lifespan. Now here's the perfect chance to dig into its tiny catalog.

Jason Clackley: To the Few and Far Between

Jason Clackley's leanings as a singer and songwriter are equal part Blake Schwarzenbach, Bob Mould, and Ronnie Spector, and that's probably the only time I'll say that about anyone, ever. His vision is few and far between.

Hüsker Dü: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock

What the world really needs is a straight-up account of one of the most important rock groups of all time, Hüsker Dü. Now we have it in the form of music scribe Andrew Earles.

Hüsker Dü: New Day Rising

One of the foundations of the alternative rock genre, Hüsker Dü's best album is a vital, hook-laden work that deserves far greater recognition.

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