Grant Hart + The Octagon

Grant Hart, formerly of seminal ’80s band Hüsker Dü, let a full decade pass between his last solo album and his new disc, Hot Wax, a scrappy collection of Beatlesque melodies and psychedelic textures. The album features members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion, who show an unsuspected knack for getting to the emotional heart of a song. Raw yet pervasively warm and wise, the Octagon is the kind of band that reminds you just how poignant lo-fi indie rock can sound.