Sources vary, but most seem to agree that on this day 40 years ago, Minutemen’s Double Nickels On the Dime was released. I could write a book about what this album has meant to me, the many portals it has opened. How so many the values and aesthetics I treasure in art can be traced back to my experience with this music. Not least its democratic core. At present, some quick words will have to do.

Even though a good chunk of it was recorded almost off the cuff, as friendly “take that Hüskers” to Dü’s ambitious double album Zen Arcade, nothing seems makeshift or casual. Rather, it all coheres, somehow. The results of three dudes at the peak of their creative powers, a collection of sh*t from an old notebook where the sh*t are nuggets of smarts, insight, wit, good natured humor, humanity, and a whole lot more, each point smashed home with expert musicianship, unbelievably tight yet surprisingly supple. Happy 40 to an all time fave that continues to astound and inspire me with each listen.