Fugazi – The Argument LP

Fugazi – The Argument LP

"This past January, I was one of a few hundred lucky individuals jammed into the sweaty confines of the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, checking out a triple bill of excellent bands: local roof-raisers Cracktorch, jazz-rockers Karate, and the indomitable Dismemberment Plan. About halfway through their set, the Plan stopped for a brief break between songs and Travis Morrison, ever the insightful one, took a moment to acknowledge the fact that the intersection outside the club had been christened Mark Sandman Square, after the late Morphine frontman.

Applause erupted in honor of our local hero, a man who did a great deal of work to help strengthen Boston's now-vibrant music scene in the mid-90s. Morrison went on to muse that perhaps there would one day be an Ian MacKaye Circle in Washington D.C., countering some initial laughter with the assertion that nations like the Netherlands and Belgium are doing a better job of celebrating our rich musical legacy than we are, erecting statues in honor of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane in their squares.

Those comments have stuck with me, and I've come to think that it's a really good idea-- MacKaye and Fugazi have been a major cultural force in the last decade. They're worthy of public accolades. Over the course of seven albums (counting Instrument and 13 Songs), they've plied a brand of brutal, often Spartan post-punk that's never catered to fashion, while at the same time garnering a large, devoted fanbase that sends their albums into the Billboard Top 200 without the benefit of major label backing or radio airplay.

Of course, one primary obstacle to a public memorial for the members of Fugazi is the band's collective politics which, while moralistic and anti-corporate, are hardly anti-capitalist as many have claimed. In fact, the band has fairly been living the American dream, becoming successful on their own terms without losing the rights to their music or creative direction. They've also taken an active role in positioning their label, Dischord, at the fore of the indie pack; over the years, the label has become the most reliable source of hard-hitting post-punk around.

The Argument, Fugazi's first proper album since 1998's somewhat disjointed End Hits, is yet another leap forward for a band that has constantly pushed itself in new directions. For one thing, no Fugazi album has ever been this melodic. For the first time ever, you can hum at least part of the melody to every song on the record. As catchy as they sometimes were, you have to admit that whistling "Bed for the Scraping" or "Sieve-Fisted Find" was never really a prospect.

The album opens with an untitled bit of collage that marries static and police radio transmissions to Amy Domingues' brooding cello drones, immediately setting The Argument apart from the band's past work, before "Cashout" makes the thoroughness of the transition even more apparent. Domingues' cello carries counter-melodies to MacKaye's double-tracked singing throughout the song, which itself is a sort of post-hardcore update of the Kinks' "Muswell Hillbilly." MacKaye details a series of evictions as the city takes an apartment complex by eminent domain to make room for a development. After spending so many years screaming their sentiments in your ear, it's nice to see that Fugazi have come to a point where they don't necessarily feel the need to raise their voices to put their point across.

Fugazi have made a career out of crafting excellent albums, and with The Argument, they've made one of their best. At this point, I don't see it edging out Red Medicine or 13 Songs from the top of my Fugazi album hierarchy, but it's certainly a worthy entry into their catalog, and proves that they're still one of the most important bands in the world. The dedication of Ian MacKaye Circle may still be a pipe dream, but that doesn't mean that he and the other members of Fugazi don't deserve the honor." - Joe Tangari / Pitchfork