Sugar “File Under: Easy Listening” 1994. Sugar’s second and final full-length release. It may be considered heretical, but I’ve always preferred Bob Mould’s solo work and his recordings with Sugar to his work with Hüsker Dü. This album is not quite as great as Sugar’s first release, Copper Blue, but File Under: Easy Listening has some wonderful fuzzed-guitared melodic alt-pop tracks. “Your Favorite Thing” is hook-driven and soaringly beautiful. “Gee Angel” is super-upbeat and danceable tinged with hard-edges and humor. “Panama City Motel” is as sad as a, well, Panama City motel.

I’m pretty sure we saw Sugar when they were on tour for this album, so probably late ‘94 or early ‘95, at the Rave in Milwaukee. I stood far too close to the speakers just at the side of the stage and the buzz in my head that lingered for days matches the buzzy quality of many of the record’s songs.