10 Punk Albums You Need To Own

There was a real dead zone after the first inception of punk in the late '70s. Though bands like the Ramones and the Clash were still experimenting with the perimeters of the genre, most of the initial sounds of rage and fury were now being filtered through the sounds of new wave and dance music. Things may have looked bleak, but the '80s saw Husker Du bringing punk rock back into the cultural zeitgeist.

Often being called one of the first "post-hardcore" outings, New Day Rising is best described as the perfect blend between the stomp of hardcore punk and the infectious melodies of alternative rock. Across its runtime, you will get ragers like the title track, but the band also offers up some goofy tracks as well like "Books About UFOs."

Then again, it's not like the actual heart behind the band is lacking, with Bob Mould turning in some of his greatest vocals ever on songs like "I Apologize" and "Celebrated Summer." Along with being one of the foundations for punk rock, this album ended up having an impact on the sound of modern rock at large, with Billie Joe Armstrong citing it as one of his favorites and Dave Grohl namechecking it on the verses of the Foo Fighters' hit "Times Like These." Husker Du might not have reached the heights of peers like R.E.M., but the influence they have had across a generation is worth more than their weight in gold.