After Husker Du and the Replacements split up, Minneapolis didn't have much of a music scene to brag about. By the time 1993 came around, the scene seemed to be barely kept alive by a few gasping breaths from local artists like Willie Wisely, Polara, the Hang-Ups, Rex Daisy, Dylan Hicks, Bean Girl, Cows, and Walt Mink. And near the top of the list of hometown greats stood Arcwelder.

The first record I heard by the band was 1993's classic Pull, their sophomore release, and their best record to date. Arcwelder's blend of solo Bob Mould accessibility and post-punk influences crafted unusual melodies and rhythms from some of the most memorable distortion- fueled pop riffs ever. But the follow- up to Pull didn't fare well. Xerxes was a largely hit- or- miss effort with only one or two standout tracks. And even though 1996's Entropy showed the band largely back on track-- especially on songs like "Free Me" and "Snake Oil"-- they refused to broaden their horizons and failed to cover any new terrain.

Everest, Arcwelder's first album in three years, is... well, another Arcwelder album. It makes sense-- these guys are getting older and probably just make albums and tour in their free time. They're probably also somewhat irritated that they're not generally embraced by younger Touch and Go fans-- that they're considered hangers- on from the Jesus Lizard, Flour, and Rifle Sport era. But it's not that Everest is a bad record at all. In fact, after a few listens, it's apparent that the songwriting is the best its been since Pull. For the most part, the snappy, Husker-ish melodies are still strong. It's the playing and the vocals that are uninspired and predictable.

Realistically, Arcwelder will probably never make a record as filled with vigor and bile as Pull again. That album's a classic example of a young band's naivety working in their favor-- they were just kids; they weren't jaded yet. But even as far back as their hard- to- find debut, Jacket Made in Canada, Arcwelder's LPs have sounded very similar to this. It's your typical Morphine syndrome: recording the same album over and over again does not grant you a place in the indie rock hall of fame.

-Ryan Schreiber