Scream – DC Special LP

Scream – DC Special LP 

"You might know Scream as prominent figures of the ’80’s DC hardcore scene, the band whose debut record (1983’s Ian MacKay-produced Still Screaming) was the first full-length out on Dischord Records, the band that four albums into their career featured a teenage Dave Grohl on drums before he joined Nirvana.

Now, 30 years on from their last full-length studio album (1993’s Fumble), the original four-piece of brothers Peter and Franz Stahl, bassist Enoch “Skeeter” Thompson, and (sadly, now recently deceased) drummer Kent Stax, unveil DC Special—a tribute to both the city they made a name for themselves in and the bands they’ve been inspired by. Quite possibly the best thing they’ve ever done, it’s undoubtedly the richest and most varied.   

Wow. Where did this come from? 

Coming full circle, DC Special—just like the band’s debut 40 years earlier—was recorded by Don Zientara at his Inner Ear studio. It would turn out to be the final recording before the studio was evicted from its long-time location. All this was back in 2021. Mixing of the album had to be pushed back, but now, at the end of 2023, it finally sees the light of day and it’s more than worth the wait. 

Featuring contributions by such long-time friends and collaborators as Amy Pickering (Fire Party), Grohl, MacKaye, Joe Lally (Fugazi) and Bob Berberich (whose ’60’s rock n roll group had been managed by Stahl senior), it’s the core of the Stahls, Thompson, and Stax that really make this record, with each one of them at the top of their game. 

Already a wonderful testament to the then and now of DC, the subsequent untimely passing of Stax adds an extra level of poignancy. Listening to DC Special, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting tribute to the late drummer. 

Ok, so there’s no shortage of lore and history, but what about the songs? What has DC Special got that makes it so … special? 

It’s got catchy hooks, top-level performances, energizing choruses, great, versatile vocals, lyricism, crisp production, celebratory, fist-pumping fire, authentic tales of DC life and a treasure trove of easter eggs tucked away in audio snippets of conversations and found sounds. 

Then there’s the musical variety. DC Special makes labelling Scream as hardcore or post-hardcore look silly. The album is like going to an all-day music festival where each band ups the ante, and you think, “The next one can’t be as good,” but they are (each in their own unique way). It’s also like a greatest hits collection of DC (except with songs you’ve never heard before). Rock ‘n’ roll without limitations. 

So you can have the full-tilt Bad Brains evoking hardcore of “Hel Nah” and the on-the-corner preaching of “Represent” wrapped around the chilled reggae of “Tum Tum” and it flows just fine. Those three tracks themselves are bookended by the thrilling, Fugazi-groove-infused, melodic rock of “Somebody Love” (featuring great guitar work by Franz Stahl) and the energized, off-kilter riffing of “Dead Cities” (itself featuring some stand-out guitar playing from guest Clint Walsh, and a chorus that demands you get to your feet). 

There’s the touching, stripped-back, acoustic campfire rock n roll of “Last of the Soft” and the anthemic stomp of “Vanishing Commissars.” Maybe even best of all, there’s the (sort of) closer “Lifeline,” with its emotive guitar lines and one of Peter Stahl’s standout vocal performances (not to mention some neat harmonica playing). 

It’s the kind of song that you want to hear again, and you do, because then you get six bonus tracks (all of them notable and bringing more musical twists), one of which is an alternate “Lifeline.” It turns out that Peter and Franz couldn’t agree on how they wanted the track to sound, so they included both versions. Which is better? It’s hard to say, but that’s kind of like picking a favorite song on the album, there’s no shortage of worthy contenders.  

On what other album this year could you hear (real or imagined) musical nods to everything from Jane’s Addiction, to Hüsker Du, to Neil Young, to Masters of Reality, to the Rolling Stones, to Tom Petty and to the Damned? If it’s out there, it’s definitely something special.

Hyperbole is a seductive little trap for any writer. This might not be your record of the year, but it could well be mine. 

“Night Steals the light away / We were born to lose / Life’s too short to say goodbye / A D.C. special.”

Amen." - Tom Osman