Soul Asylum - The Silver Lining

The Minneapolis alt-rockers were once overshadowed by fellow homies Hüsker Dü and The Replacements. But that was before frontman Dave Pirner started dating Winona Ryder and the band topped the charts, amid cries of sell out, with the slick “Runaway Train.” Soul Asylum’s first album since the death of bassist Karl Mueller isn’t going to win back old fans. Songs like “Stand Up and Be Strong” and “Crazy Mixed Up World,” which Pirner wrote on becoming a dad, are overly earnest, instantly forgettable anthems.

July 11