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When Ian Mackaye’s new band, Fugazi formed there was much talk of it in circles of dedicated fans of the last band he was in, Minor Threat, which had led the way for the straight edge genre.
‘The Argument’ is the 2001 offering from Fugazi, and it is pretty damn good! Although I have had little experience of post-hardcore, this is great stuff. At first I was a little unsure, but the CD has grown on me. Here is a track by track breakdown.
1. This track has no name. It is very much an intro to the album, with fuzzy, distorted background speech and some rather unnerving sounds over the top.
2. ‘Cashout’ – The song starts with a steady beat and drumwork, with some nice string plucking accompanying the vocals. This is a good example of restraint before an explosion of sound about two minutes in. The lyrics are basically about how ‘development’ is causing neighbourhoods to be forcefully evicted, creating ranks of homeless.
3. ‘Full Disclosure’ – A decent track, steady beat, good vocals with feeling, and a great build up to a very nice guitar solo towards the end.
4. ‘Epic Problem’ – One of my faves. Starts faster than the previous two, and carries on with good vocals for a while. After a while the vocals cease and the bands musical talent really shines. The playing then drops dramatically in tempo as Mackaye beautifully sings the last part of the song, then just as quickly as it dropped the tempo picks up again for the end of the song. A damn good track.
5. ‘Life And Limb’ – This one is strange. And a little disconcerting (that is how you spell it I looked it up!). The guitar work is a short and plucky tune, set to steady drums. The vocals are slow, and the female backings add to the strange feel of this track. During the singing of the chorus’ there is also some powerful bass work. This track will get stuck in your head for days, but it’s a little eerie…
6. ‘The Kill’ – The track starts with downbeat vocals, and guitars building in strength as “I’m not a citizen” is repeated. Again, much of this track is accompanied with a powerful bass, and there’s some disconcerting whistling towards the end. This track is about how people can be assimilated by society. At the very end of the track there is some Darth-style heavy breathing.
7. ‘Strangelight’ – Another eerie track. The vocals at the start are almost whispered, and by the time the drums kick in there are some ‘ooh’s in the background which are kind of eerie. The tempo and sound builds at the end of the track until it slowly fades out.
8. ‘Oh’ – The ‘eerie’ tracks end here. This track has steady and powerful drumwork and bass, and a great build up to the chorus. Also some nice vocals and beautifully discordant guitar work. And a very nice guitar solo at the end, building up to the slower tempo of the outro of the track.
9. ‘Ex-Spectator’ – Opens with some nice drumming then crunching, buzzing guitars. Some beautifully shouted vocals at the chorus, and squeaking, high-pitched strumming compliment each other well. Very good track.
10. ‘Nightshop’ – Possibly my favourite track. Starts with high-pitched guitar and quiet bass, with whispered vocals, which build. Carries on at the same tempo for a while and slowly builds to some turbulent up and down riffs which work really well, then to an amazing spiral of a guitar solo. Incredible. Worth the album price just to hear that. The tempo then changes again, after the solo the song goes into a country-like style, and ends on a crunching guitar chord fade out.
11. ‘Argument’ – The opening of this is similar to the first intro track, with fuzzed up and distorted voices. A series of sound pulses introduce the rest of the song. The bass throughout is strong and this is a perfect final song. The powerful bass goes straight through you while the song itself is quite uplifting, with some ‘ooh’ing and very nicely sung vocals. After about three and a half minutes, the song ups the beat with some amazing, squeaky guitar work to accompany the final chorus, and the great final drumming and guitar work slowly fading to the background with the bass.
Overall, a great album. It really has grown on me, and encouraged me to get some earlier Fugazi stuff. A must for rock fans.
Runs for about 45 mins overall.
Sibs rating: 9/10
‘The Argument’ is the 2001 offering from Fugazi, and it is pretty damn good! Although I have had little experience of post-hardcore, this is great stuff. At first I was a little unsure, but the CD has grown on me. Here is a track by track breakdown.
1. This track has no name. It is very much an intro to the album, with fuzzy, distorted background speech and some rather unnerving sounds over the top.
2. ‘Cashout’ – The song starts with a steady beat and drumwork, with some nice string plucking accompanying the vocals. This is a good example of restraint before an explosion of sound about two minutes in. The lyrics are basically about how ‘development’ is causing neighbourhoods to be forcefully evicted, creating ranks of homeless.
3. ‘Full Disclosure’ – A decent track, steady beat, good vocals with feeling, and a great build up to a very nice guitar solo towards the end.
4. ‘Epic Problem’ – One of my faves. Starts faster than the previous two, and carries on with good vocals for a while. After a while the vocals cease and the bands musical talent really shines. The playing then drops dramatically in tempo as Mackaye beautifully sings the last part of the song, then just as quickly as it dropped the tempo picks up again for the end of the song. A damn good track.
5. ‘Life And Limb’ – This one is strange. And a little disconcerting (that is how you spell it I looked it up!). The guitar work is a short and plucky tune, set to steady drums. The vocals are slow, and the female backings add to the strange feel of this track. During the singing of the chorus’ there is also some powerful bass work. This track will get stuck in your head for days, but it’s a little eerie…
6. ‘The Kill’ – The track starts with downbeat vocals, and guitars building in strength as “I’m not a citizen” is repeated. Again, much of this track is accompanied with a powerful bass, and there’s some disconcerting whistling towards the end. This track is about how people can be assimilated by society. At the very end of the track there is some Darth-style heavy breathing.
7. ‘Strangelight’ – Another eerie track. The vocals at the start are almost whispered, and by the time the drums kick in there are some ‘ooh’s in the background which are kind of eerie. The tempo and sound builds at the end of the track until it slowly fades out.
8. ‘Oh’ – The ‘eerie’ tracks end here. This track has steady and powerful drumwork and bass, and a great build up to the chorus. Also some nice vocals and beautifully discordant guitar work. And a very nice guitar solo at the end, building up to the slower tempo of the outro of the track.
9. ‘Ex-Spectator’ – Opens with some nice drumming then crunching, buzzing guitars. Some beautifully shouted vocals at the chorus, and squeaking, high-pitched strumming compliment each other well. Very good track.
10. ‘Nightshop’ – Possibly my favourite track. Starts with high-pitched guitar and quiet bass, with whispered vocals, which build. Carries on at the same tempo for a while and slowly builds to some turbulent up and down riffs which work really well, then to an amazing spiral of a guitar solo. Incredible. Worth the album price just to hear that. The tempo then changes again, after the solo the song goes into a country-like style, and ends on a crunching guitar chord fade out.
11. ‘Argument’ – The opening of this is similar to the first intro track, with fuzzed up and distorted voices. A series of sound pulses introduce the rest of the song. The bass throughout is strong and this is a perfect final song. The powerful bass goes straight through you while the song itself is quite uplifting, with some ‘ooh’ing and very nicely sung vocals. After about three and a half minutes, the song ups the beat with some amazing, squeaky guitar work to accompany the final chorus, and the great final drumming and guitar work slowly fading to the background with the bass.
Overall, a great album. It really has grown on me, and encouraged me to get some earlier Fugazi stuff. A must for rock fans.
Runs for about 45 mins overall.
Sibs rating: 9/10
Well done Misterhappy, mission accomplished! :-)
It alreadu got me intrested in Fugazi. I love 'Epic Problem', I think I may buy the album very soon :-)
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review.
hmmm I wonder if I posted an entirely inconsequential message in here I could indoctrinate more people with Fugazi's music by popping the review up the list?
yeah, Fugazi do rock (and I've only heard this one CD!)
Can you reccomend some older stuff. I hear Repeater is very good and has the +3 songs from the '3 songs' EP on it.
Oh, and once you have listened to it properly, tell me what you think of my track analysis stuff, and whether you agree.
Anyone else, just buy the CD... NOW.
Can you reccomend some older stuff. I hear Repeater is very good and has the +3 songs from the '3 songs' EP on it.
Oh, and once you have listened to it properly, tell me what you think of my track analysis stuff, and whether you agree.
Anyone else, just buy the CD... NOW.
Fugazi rock! The best thing about true-to-their-roots anti-corporate punksters is that they don't charge rip-off prices for their albums.
Still not had a chance to listen to this properly but your track by track account will prove most useful. Thanks.
Still not had a chance to listen to this properly but your track by track account will prove most useful. Thanks.
When Ian Mackaye’s new band, Fugazi formed there was much talk of it in circles of dedicated fans of the last band he was in, Minor Threat, which had led the way for the straight edge genre.
‘The Argument’ is the 2001 offering from Fugazi, and it is pretty damn good! Although I have had little experience of post-hardcore, this is great stuff. At first I was a little unsure, but the CD has grown on me. Here is a track by track breakdown.
1. This track has no name. It is very much an intro to the album, with fuzzy, distorted background speech and some rather unnerving sounds over the top.
2. ‘Cashout’ – The song starts with a steady beat and drumwork, with some nice string plucking accompanying the vocals. This is a good example of restraint before an explosion of sound about two minutes in. The lyrics are basically about how ‘development’ is causing neighbourhoods to be forcefully evicted, creating ranks of homeless.
3. ‘Full Disclosure’ – A decent track, steady beat, good vocals with feeling, and a great build up to a very nice guitar solo towards the end.
4. ‘Epic Problem’ – One of my faves. Starts faster than the previous two, and carries on with good vocals for a while. After a while the vocals cease and the bands musical talent really shines. The playing then drops dramatically in tempo as Mackaye beautifully sings the last part of the song, then just as quickly as it dropped the tempo picks up again for the end of the song. A damn good track.
5. ‘Life And Limb’ – This one is strange. And a little disconcerting (that is how you spell it I looked it up!). The guitar work is a short and plucky tune, set to steady drums. The vocals are slow, and the female backings add to the strange feel of this track. During the singing of the chorus’ there is also some powerful bass work. This track will get stuck in your head for days, but it’s a little eerie…
6. ‘The Kill’ – The track starts with downbeat vocals, and guitars building in strength as “I’m not a citizen” is repeated. Again, much of this track is accompanied with a powerful bass, and there’s some disconcerting whistling towards the end. This track is about how people can be assimilated by society. At the very end of the track there is some Darth-style heavy breathing.
7. ‘Strangelight’ – Another eerie track. The vocals at the start are almost whispered, and by the time the drums kick in there are some ‘ooh’s in the background which are kind of eerie. The tempo and sound builds at the end of the track until it slowly fades out.
8. ‘Oh’ – The ‘eerie’ tracks end here. This track has steady and powerful drumwork and bass, and a great build up to the chorus. Also some nice vocals and beautifully discordant guitar work. And a very nice guitar solo at the end, building up to the slower tempo of the outro of the track.
9. ‘Ex-Spectator’ – Opens with some nice drumming then crunching, buzzing guitars. Some beautifully shouted vocals at the chorus, and squeaking, high-pitched strumming compliment each other well. Very good track.
10. ‘Nightshop’ – Possibly my favourite track. Starts with high-pitched guitar and quiet bass, with whispered vocals, which build. Carries on at the same tempo for a while and slowly builds to some turbulent up and down riffs which work really well, then to an amazing spiral of a guitar solo. Incredible. Worth the album price just to hear that. The tempo then changes again, after the solo the song goes into a country-like style, and ends on a crunching guitar chord fade out.
11. ‘Argument’ – The opening of this is similar to the first intro track, with fuzzed up and distorted voices. A series of sound pulses introduce the rest of the song. The bass throughout is strong and this is a perfect final song. The powerful bass goes straight through you while the song itself is quite uplifting, with some ‘ooh’ing and very nicely sung vocals. After about three and a half minutes, the song ups the beat with some amazing, squeaky guitar work to accompany the final chorus, and the great final drumming and guitar work slowly fading to the background with the bass.
Overall, a great album. It really has grown on me, and encouraged me to get some earlier Fugazi stuff. A must for rock fans.
Runs for about 45 mins overall.
Sibs rating: 9/10
‘The Argument’ is the 2001 offering from Fugazi, and it is pretty damn good! Although I have had little experience of post-hardcore, this is great stuff. At first I was a little unsure, but the CD has grown on me. Here is a track by track breakdown.
1. This track has no name. It is very much an intro to the album, with fuzzy, distorted background speech and some rather unnerving sounds over the top.
2. ‘Cashout’ – The song starts with a steady beat and drumwork, with some nice string plucking accompanying the vocals. This is a good example of restraint before an explosion of sound about two minutes in. The lyrics are basically about how ‘development’ is causing neighbourhoods to be forcefully evicted, creating ranks of homeless.
3. ‘Full Disclosure’ – A decent track, steady beat, good vocals with feeling, and a great build up to a very nice guitar solo towards the end.
4. ‘Epic Problem’ – One of my faves. Starts faster than the previous two, and carries on with good vocals for a while. After a while the vocals cease and the bands musical talent really shines. The playing then drops dramatically in tempo as Mackaye beautifully sings the last part of the song, then just as quickly as it dropped the tempo picks up again for the end of the song. A damn good track.
5. ‘Life And Limb’ – This one is strange. And a little disconcerting (that is how you spell it I looked it up!). The guitar work is a short and plucky tune, set to steady drums. The vocals are slow, and the female backings add to the strange feel of this track. During the singing of the chorus’ there is also some powerful bass work. This track will get stuck in your head for days, but it’s a little eerie…
6. ‘The Kill’ – The track starts with downbeat vocals, and guitars building in strength as “I’m not a citizen” is repeated. Again, much of this track is accompanied with a powerful bass, and there’s some disconcerting whistling towards the end. This track is about how people can be assimilated by society. At the very end of the track there is some Darth-style heavy breathing.
7. ‘Strangelight’ – Another eerie track. The vocals at the start are almost whispered, and by the time the drums kick in there are some ‘ooh’s in the background which are kind of eerie. The tempo and sound builds at the end of the track until it slowly fades out.
8. ‘Oh’ – The ‘eerie’ tracks end here. This track has steady and powerful drumwork and bass, and a great build up to the chorus. Also some nice vocals and beautifully discordant guitar work. And a very nice guitar solo at the end, building up to the slower tempo of the outro of the track.
9. ‘Ex-Spectator’ – Opens with some nice drumming then crunching, buzzing guitars. Some beautifully shouted vocals at the chorus, and squeaking, high-pitched strumming compliment each other well. Very good track.
10. ‘Nightshop’ – Possibly my favourite track. Starts with high-pitched guitar and quiet bass, with whispered vocals, which build. Carries on at the same tempo for a while and slowly builds to some turbulent up and down riffs which work really well, then to an amazing spiral of a guitar solo. Incredible. Worth the album price just to hear that. The tempo then changes again, after the solo the song goes into a country-like style, and ends on a crunching guitar chord fade out.
11. ‘Argument’ – The opening of this is similar to the first intro track, with fuzzed up and distorted voices. A series of sound pulses introduce the rest of the song. The bass throughout is strong and this is a perfect final song. The powerful bass goes straight through you while the song itself is quite uplifting, with some ‘ooh’ing and very nicely sung vocals. After about three and a half minutes, the song ups the beat with some amazing, squeaky guitar work to accompany the final chorus, and the great final drumming and guitar work slowly fading to the background with the bass.
Overall, a great album. It really has grown on me, and encouraged me to get some earlier Fugazi stuff. A must for rock fans.
Runs for about 45 mins overall.
Sibs rating: 9/10