The significance of Hüsker Dü in the rock/alternative world is beyond the scope of this review. I've spent my entire music listening life in the wake of their existence, and everything I've heard since I was about 16 years old was heard through Hüsker-tinted ears. For two months in the early 90s, Zen Arcade never left my cd player and my world view changed forever. To me, Hüsker Dü is the gold standard... without exaggeration and without exception. Flip Your Wig follows two of the albums commonly cited as essential alternative/rock albums by many critics (Zen Arcade and New Day Rising). Depending on the critic, Flip Your Wig is a marginal step down in terms of significance or a continuation of the monumental work of the previous year. Regardless, this is a captivating collection of post-punk, pop music. The opening track "Flip Your Wig" is a sharing of vocals between Bob Mould and Grant Hart that, when combined with the energy created instrumentally, creates the best start to any Hüsker album (obviously a personal opinion). Following is a steady stream of pop music that grabs a listener more wholly on each subsequent listen. Choruses are absorbed without thinking and anticipation for the next song opening become ingrained. Look forward to "Makes No Sense at All," "Divide and Conquer," "Private Plane," and "Keep Hanging On." But, by no means should you skip tracks to get there. If you do, you'll miss "Hate Paper Doll," "Green Eyes," and another handful of gems. Flip Your Wig was the last Hüsker Dü album I heard (minus live recordings). Because of that it has always held an awkward, uncertain position in my mind. This is the Hüsker Dü that I like best: songs with traditional song structure written by timeless songwriters. Additionally, "Flip Your Wig" and "Keep Hanging On" are two of my absolute favorite compositions by these guys. When asked recently what my favorite Hüsker Dü album was, I may have inadvertently lied and said it was this one. Or, maybe I didn't.