#reflexrecords

I DÜ REMEMBER

I’m in a lugubrious mood today after waking up to news of Grant Hart’s passing this morning from cancer at only 56 years old.

I would like to say that after reading an entire generation of Rolling Stone record reviewers use Zen Arcade as a de facto measure of rock greatness, my first listen was transformative, but that isn’t the case. It was fuzzy, noisy, and long and I had a hard time hearing the songs in there.

The truth is that at the time, still in the process of developing an emotional range beyond just hostility and indignation, the anger and cynicism of Black Flag and The Circle Jerks spoke to me much more clearly than Hüsker Dü’s more subtle mix of emotions. Make no mistake there was plenty of anger in the music of Hüsker Dü, but also things like sadness and love and admiration.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UK - Probably the easiest of Newcastle’s record shops to find and get to, Reflex is tucked away on Nun Street in between one of the entrances to Grainger Market and a Red Cross sho.

Reflex stocks a mixture of CDs and vinyl, from old classics to new releases, and across a variety of genres. As well as the regular pop/rock and chart sections, Reflex has dedicated CD sections for specific genres such as punk rock and soul – if you’re after an obscure Charged GBH album, make Reflex your first port of call.