The Argument
Fugazi
Available at <http://www.dischord.com/bands/fugazi.shtml>
REVIEW BY ALLY BLACK
Fugazi are pioneers of the US punk scene. Their origins lie in the political and "straight-edge" scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in the band Minor Threat. These bands rejected drinking and drug-taking and followed a co-operative and communal ideal. Fugazi are one of the few bands from this scene to have stuck to their guns.
They have resolutely refused to join the Green Day-type "punk" bandwagon of the last few years. They still refuse to over-charge for CDs and gigs. You won't find Coca-Cola or Nike sponsoring a Fugazi tour, in fact you won't even find the band selling t-shirts or other junk. You will find a fantastic and committed live band who actively oppose violence and macho attitudes at their gigs.
Their latest CD, The Argument, is undoubtedly the most melodic and accessible album they have produced since their eponymous 1988 debut. The band's spiky and angular sounds can still be found but "Full Disclosure" sounds more like Ash than Stockhausen and that is not a bad thing.
However, I never thought I would hear a three-part harmony from this band. Lyrically, they are political but not didactic. Despite taking on subjects like globalisation, racism and the gentrification of working-class neighbourhoods, their lyrics have a subtle and abstract quality far removed from the sloganising of Rage Against the Machine et al.
A good example is the title track which, although recorded in January 2001, is strangely prescient: "When people are catching what bombers release/I'm on a mission to never agree". This release seems more political than some of their previous albums.
Maybe the emerging anti-globalisation movement has given Fugazi a new lease on life politically. As they tend to refuse interviews we may never know. Buy it for the Robbie Williams fan in your life.
[From Scottish Socialist Voice, <http://www.scottishsocialistvoice.net/>.]
From Green Left Weekly, January 23, 2002.
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