Let It Be
On their first releases, even amid all the smirking irreverence, the Replacements seemed to have more ambition than other post-punkers, but it wasn't untilLet It Bethat they actually realized it. There's still plenty of smirking here--"Seen Your Video" is a great snotty taunt--but there's also smartly-crafted pop like "I Will Dare" and not-quite-love songs like "Answering Machine," not to mention a rocking cover of uncool Kiss that's played perfectly straight. This is classic, all-over-the-board indie rock, especially the angst-ridden empathy of "Sixteen Blue," where Paul Westerberg, all of 23, remembers just how it is to be a teenager.--David Cantwell