The Argument, ex-Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart’s eighth solo disc is a concept album based on a pair of books, Paradise Lost by Milton and Lost Paradise by William S. Burroughs; two sides of the same coin – fallen angels and the rise of Satan vs Adam & Eve and the rise of humanity. Despite the heavy concepts and subjects the songs address, they stand on their own musical merits, and the lyric subject references are subtle enough (yet obvious if you look for them) to leave the songs open to interpretation. They can be taken literally or figuratively, but let’s not overdo the concept, it really is all about the music. And music is good. Awash in melody and catchy fills adrift on a sea of noise. Nowhere near as abrasive as Hüsker Dü, but the similarities abound and Hüsker fans should enjoy The Argument. So will fans of The Replacements and Jesus & Mary Chain. The Argument plays like a down to earth Space Oddity, with a Bowie-like theatrical flair, and more often than not it sound like a one-man band with a guitar, pedals and synth, and a drum machine. Definitely Hart’s strongest work. (Domino, granthart.com) Broose Tulloch