Fugazi
13 Songs
»
Fugazi
13 Songs
Dischord, 1990
RiYL: Rites of Spring, Minor Threat, Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary |
The music on Fugazi’s self-titled EP and its follow-up Margin Walker (long known by the name under which they’ve been collected on CD, 13 Songs) is not terribly removed from Minor Threat’s seminal (and final) single “Salad Days.” MacKaye’s vocals have lost none of their directness or intensity; they’ve even improved somewhat as Ian learns to share and encourage rather than hector. Picciotto’s vocals are no less unhinged than on Rites of Spring’s self-titled record, and not much more melodic – “Target” was a long way off still.
The changes are more subtle. Better production reveals better playing by the rhythm section. Songs continue after the singers are done hollering. Both MacKaye and Picciotto were still novice guitarists (the latter doesn’t play guitar at all on Fugazi), but the energy of Lally and drummer Brendan Canty is infectious. Guitars become percussion instruments, scratching and squealing against Lally’s solidly melodic playing and Canty’s caffeine-fueled precision.
Over snare drum snaps and a thick bass vamp, Picciotto testifies on “Burning” such that you can practically see him contorting with each phrase if you close your eyes. “Provisional”’s pretty guitar intro leads into one of Guy’s most inspired vocals. As the first Fugazi song to be truly elevated somewhere polemical lyrics alone couldn’t take it, “Provisional” was not surprisingly reprised for first LP Repeater. 13 Songs concludes with “Promises,” Ian MacKaye’s first recorded attempt at singing (as opposed to chanting, mumbling, shouting, or shrieking). As the song builds to the chorus, where the bass and guitars each play hardcore changes – but not the same ones – you can hear the germs of the rest of Fugazi’s illustrious career.
What Ian and Guy realized (with the contributions of their terrific rhythm section not to be underestimated) was that hardcore was a youth movement. Even though Ian screamed “I’m a minor at heart!” back with his first band, there is such a thing as aging gracefully. 13 Songs is no less political than any of Minor Threat’s work, and no less impassioned than Rites’ heralded debut. The difference is these musicians are beginning to appreciate there’s more than one way to get from point A to point B. Instrumental sections aren’t “Filler,” but another way of communicating a feeling to an audience.
Minor Threat (reputedly) broke up because the guys who played the instruments wanted to expand their palette. MacKaye, who can be a humorless, inflexible S.O.B. sometimes, balked. Half a decade later he was singing (still mostly shouting) a different tune. Why make music if you can’t sustain your own interest in it?
A key -- perhaps the key -- to Minor Threat and Rites of Spring’s timeless appeal is their innocence. You really feel the young singers think no one has ever felt the way they do before. Innocence seldom lasts longer than one album, though. Fugazi were founded quite consciously as a band moving forward –- MacKaye put together the trio to improve his guitar playing, recruited Picciotto to challenge him as a songwriter, and recorded (in the early years) at a furious pace to keep the momentum going. Minor Threat never wanted to grow up. Fugazi wanted to never stop growing.
MARK T.R. DONOHUE | Mark T.R. Donohue is a prolific freelance writer whose areas of expertise include Rockies baseball, video games, genre television, English soccer, and pub rock. He lives in Colorado, where he cultivates the largest and creepiest private collection of Alyson Hannigan memorabilia in the Mountain West.