The Hüsker Dü/Sugar vet drops a blast of hook-chiseled guitar noise with rueful lyrics that lead to a refrain of "Can I try to make it up to you somehow?" As guiltpunk purges go, it's not the Hüskers' "I Apologize," but it's a nice return to form.

Listen to "The Descent":

“Everyday People”

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.