601 Fugazi - 13 Songs (1989)

Sort of Compilation - Punk

About the Act:

Fugazi were from Washington DC, but instead of becoming politicians they became a punk band. It was 1986 when they did that, and they have been on indefinite hiatus since 2003. Sounds permanent to me. They've had a stable line-up and several albums. They have been regarded as an influential band in the punk and alternative rock worlds. They are not to be confused with the album by Marillion called Fugazi, any more than lemon juice should be confused with bathroom cleaner.

About the Album:

This was their first album. Before this album, they released two EPs (just in case you don't know, that stands for "extended play" and is somewhere between an album and a single.) These EPs were collected together to make this album, so it's sort of a compilation in that sense.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

I'm coming to the conclusion that good punk is a fairly difficult balancing act. The fundamental ethos of punk is to reject the slick production of the 70s, especially of Prog, it would seem, and replace that with something "real" - which tends to mean ragged, angry and energetic. I remember hearing a quote from a nascent punker in an interview in which they claimed that punk made music playable without much talent.

The balancing act is this - if you really can't play, and all you have is semi-random thrashing about, then what makes anyone else want to listen to it. Sure, attitude is a good percentage of that, and there have been enough bands in every genre that can't really hack it. The real balance is achieved by giving the impression of simplicity and freshness, but having enough skill to actually make something listenable.

Enter Fugazi. I had no idea before I fired this up what it was going to be like. It's American Punk.

On this journey I am on and am exactly 40% of the way through (400th album review, can you believe), my understanding of music is expanding nicely, I am educating myself. I have gone from "Surely Punk was a British thing" to "OK but maybe British Punk was better" to "Actually there is some good American Punk, if you stay away from the Ramones". To this.

To start with they can play. They can play really well. They have the simplicity of a limited number of instruments, two electric guitars, bass and drums. One thing that is different from some punk is that this is equal roles rather than mostly being guitar-led. They are all good, and the musicality is strong. Selected parts could be called "rock" rather than "punk" but there is still a musical directness and simplicity, and looseness to it that really puts it in the punk arena, for me. It's atmospheric, though. And as well as being well-played, it is well-produced. Actually, it's really well produced (I should check if this is a remaster). It sounds like the 2000s, actually similar in some ways to The Offspring, Blink 182 and Green Day, but not as polished. The slight raggedness makes it feel "live" and there seems to be little in the way of overdubs. This might just be great editing, but there are little... not exactly mistakes, but it's very humanly played. It's a bit loose, as in, not always in time, but it works for them.

Right, now onto the vocals. This is where it really is punk. Loud aggressive, shouty, not in tune, and sometimes not even notes, but effective. They have gone down the interesting route of having two singers (both male). For most songs, one of them takes the lead (and this seems to be about half an half) and the other is the "foil". Apparently this concept is from Rap, it's the person behind the main rapper adding little bits and egging the crowd on. Actually I think it's somewhere between that and backing vocals. And occasionally harmony. Using two vocalists instantly gives them two textures, but they have found way more than that.

A few of the tracks have a reggae element to them. This was a deliberate policy decision when forming the band, apparently.

End result, it feels pretty punk. Maybe not as angry as some, or as anarchic, but definitely with good energy and attitude, but underpinned with skilled playing that makes music that is actually listenable. For me, they have got the balancing act well-balanced.

So I listened for the first time on the laptop speakers. For the second time in the car, and now on headphones. At the end of the first listen I was ready to give it an 8. After the second it was down to a 7.5. This listen has pulled me up again, 7.7. And I'm willing to put my neck out and claim that it is may be the best punk album I have ever heard. The cover is a bit uninspired though.

7.7/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1FcRwT7uoNdO8L9wbYsfAY

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYwfYGziz-_1P0rdfdTlk1y_cobG886WC

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_Songs_(Fugazi_album)