Released nearly simultaneously with the precision-tuned
Ryan Adams,
1984 is a furious little EP designed to evoke memories of that halcyon year. Memories of Minneapolis, to be specific, and nothing to do with
Prince, either: it's all
Hüsker Dü and
the Replacements, all short, frenetic, melodic blasts that last not much longer than 90 seconds. Conceptually, it's as clean as the sound is trebly and furious, evoking that absurdly razor-thin un-production of Spot's. Like
Dü and
'Mats,
Adams doesn't skimp on the melodies -- with a different arrangement and production, "Change Your Mind" could've slid onto the AOR-obsessed
Ryan Adams -- and that makes this a supremely satisfying tossed-off tribute. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine