supahypeag
Well-Known Member
I feel like Fugazi might be the opposite of John Mayer. So...nice!
Needles & Grooves AoTM /// Vol. 14 - August 2020 /// Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker
- Thread starter Thackeraye
- Start date
CrazyDiamond84
Well-Known Member
Any excuse to buy a Fugazi record is ok with me! I only have Repeater, and have never listened to this one so Im looking forward to it. Im gonna browse around for an original, but will buy the 33 1/3 book from the Dischord site to go along with it and still support the label a little bit!
MadLucas
Well-Known Member
Have fun on this rabbit hole! For my money, they never released a bad album. The albums are either instant favorites or slow growers, but all of them are great.
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
I have the great honour of announcing the 14th N&G AoTM Many congratulations to @thebrianjackson for correctly guessing first, and thanks to all of you for taking part. The album I have chosen to celebrate this month is Fugazi’s In on the Kill Taker.
When the ideal of an Album of the Month was discussed on the forum, I was always excited about us having the opportunity to focus on albums which couldn’t or wouldn’t be covered by a more corporate entity. Not having a profit motive would open us up to albums from the fiercely independent entities and bands, and Dischord Records perfectly encapsulates this. Record and gig prices were kept to a minimum, and no Fugazi merchandise was ever sold. The key was to get music that was as good as possible out there for as many people as possible.
Dischord was created by and for the DC punk scene of the 1980’s, and was instrumental in documenting the bands at that point in time, and as they grew and evolved. Punk became Straight Edge, which became Emotional Hardcore (a horrible term, but it’s all we have), which evolved further into Fugazi’s sound, which in many ways is hard to pigeonhole. The fact that all of the members of Fugazi were involved in bands during these evolutions was part of the fun; you could start at the beginning with Minor Threat and go forwards to Fugazi and vice-versa, and at each stage you would find different things to enjoy. The Dischord label became a mark of quality.
By 1993, when this album was released, the band members were in their second decade as professional musicians, and it shows. Endlessly workshopped and practiced, the songs are impeccably played (I’d argue that the Brendan Canty/Joe Lally rhythm section is one of the best ever), and is the perfect mix of power, invention, and strong, thought-provoking lyrics. This isn’t the first Fugazi album I heard (Repeater + 3 - probably a “lighter” introduction to the band), but for me it best encapsulates their sound.
For what can be quickly assumed as simply loud guitar music, this album is surprisingly versatile, and has been used by others as a jumping point. Prefer Hip Hop - no bother, just go listen to the Wugazi mash up album that mixes them with the Wu Tang Clan (it’s actually pretty good). Enjoy modern classical - then Stargaze’s Instruments reinterpretation has you covered.
The story of the creation of this album also created one of the pieces of ephemera that makes being a music fan in the internet age so fun. Looking for a different sound, the band originally recorded these songs with Steve Albini (the recording of which is mentioned in Albini’s letter to Kurt Cobain in his pitch to produce In Utero). Both he and the band had a blast, but as soon as they heard the recording both parties knew it wasn’t right. I’ll be linking to the recordings in this thread and they are totally right, but it’s fun to compare them to the final version.
For me, I found Fugazi as I was losing my love with mainstream 90’s alt-metal & grunge. Not liking the Nu-metal direction, albums like In on the Kill Taker showed me that there was a whole other seam to mine; that there were bands out there that coupled intelligence and loud guitars, and could push your tastes into other avenues. I hope you enjoy your time with it, please let me know what you think.
When the ideal of an Album of the Month was discussed on the forum, I was always excited about us having the opportunity to focus on albums which couldn’t or wouldn’t be covered by a more corporate entity. Not having a profit motive would open us up to albums from the fiercely independent entities and bands, and Dischord Records perfectly encapsulates this. Record and gig prices were kept to a minimum, and no Fugazi merchandise was ever sold. The key was to get music that was as good as possible out there for as many people as possible.
Dischord was created by and for the DC punk scene of the 1980’s, and was instrumental in documenting the bands at that point in time, and as they grew and evolved. Punk became Straight Edge, which became Emotional Hardcore (a horrible term, but it’s all we have), which evolved further into Fugazi’s sound, which in many ways is hard to pigeonhole. The fact that all of the members of Fugazi were involved in bands during these evolutions was part of the fun; you could start at the beginning with Minor Threat and go forwards to Fugazi and vice-versa, and at each stage you would find different things to enjoy. The Dischord label became a mark of quality.
By 1993, when this album was released, the band members were in their second decade as professional musicians, and it shows. Endlessly workshopped and practiced, the songs are impeccably played (I’d argue that the Brendan Canty/Joe Lally rhythm section is one of the best ever), and is the perfect mix of power, invention, and strong, thought-provoking lyrics. This isn’t the first Fugazi album I heard (Repeater + 3 - probably a “lighter” introduction to the band), but for me it best encapsulates their sound.
For what can be quickly assumed as simply loud guitar music, this album is surprisingly versatile, and has been used by others as a jumping point. Prefer Hip Hop - no bother, just go listen to the Wugazi mash up album that mixes them with the Wu Tang Clan (it’s actually pretty good). Enjoy modern classical - then Stargaze’s Instruments reinterpretation has you covered.
The story of the creation of this album also created one of the pieces of ephemera that makes being a music fan in the internet age so fun. Looking for a different sound, the band originally recorded these songs with Steve Albini (the recording of which is mentioned in Albini’s letter to Kurt Cobain in his pitch to produce In Utero). Both he and the band had a blast, but as soon as they heard the recording both parties knew it wasn’t right. I’ll be linking to the recordings in this thread and they are totally right, but it’s fun to compare them to the final version.
For me, I found Fugazi as I was losing my love with mainstream 90’s alt-metal & grunge. Not liking the Nu-metal direction, albums like In on the Kill Taker showed me that there was a whole other seam to mine; that there were bands out there that coupled intelligence and loud guitars, and could push your tastes into other avenues. I hope you enjoy your time with it, please let me know what you think.
BjorgenFjorgen
Well-Known Member
Awesome, looking forward to digging in! I listened to Repeater a bunch when I was younger but Fugazi and most punk in general kind of fell off my radar for a long time.
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
Page 1 has been updated with my supplementary links and stuff: you'll find an intro to the band there, the Albini demos, the Wugazi mash up, and lots of other stuff. Feel free to dive in to as much or as little as you fancy. I'd recommend the Albini demos, Wugazi, and Coriky if your time is limited, but all have value.
Still need to do a bit of house admin, like put up all of the clues and guesses in page 1. Will do that today/tomorrow.
Looking forward to hearing from you all on this, from both the newcomers to this album and the old fans.
I did let the AMA team know about this pick at the start of this month, so we may get lucky!
Still need to do a bit of house admin, like put up all of the clues and guesses in page 1. Will do that today/tomorrow.
Looking forward to hearing from you all on this, from both the newcomers to this album and the old fans.
I did let the AMA team know about this pick at the start of this month, so we may get lucky!
Skalap
Well-Known Member
I never listened to Fugazi but it's something that should change in the next couple of weeks: I have ordered the record and it will soon be shipped. I have seen their name so many times but never took the time to give them the attention they certainly deserve. I'll also give a look at Dischord label.
Thank you @Thackeraye for this great month and this great pick, another one to our N&G AoTM list.
Thank you @Thackeraye for this great month and this great pick, another one to our N&G AoTM list.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Bought this.
I've never really tried with Fugazi. I've streamed The Argument a few times in the background, and it never grabbed me enough to make me buy it. I'm sure some of that is because I didn't put much effort in myself. I streamed this last week and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to giving it a closer listen when I get it. Fingers crossed it gets here in good shape. Otherwise I'll go for a current reissue.
Thanks @Thackeraye!
I've never really tried with Fugazi. I've streamed The Argument a few times in the background, and it never grabbed me enough to make me buy it. I'm sure some of that is because I didn't put much effort in myself. I streamed this last week and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to giving it a closer listen when I get it. Fingers crossed it gets here in good shape. Otherwise I'll go for a current reissue.
Thanks @Thackeraye!
Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
Look what I just got:
Spent some time looking at the series in the back. This was probably a bad idea.
Spent some time looking at the series in the back. This was probably a bad idea.
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
The Argument and End Hits are both amazing, but I do think they make more sense once you've listened to the earlier albums. This album always felt like the first steps towards the sound of the last 2 albums. It's a bit more rough and ready, if you know what I mean...?
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Yeah, although it has been a while since the last time I listened to The Argument, the rougher punk approach (even though it is still quite varied) I think grabbed me quicker on this one.
Jan
Well-Known Member
Yes, i think end Hits and Argument are harder to get into but rewarding in repeatet listens. Personally redmedicine and steadydiet are the records that i get back to the last.
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
Jan
Well-Known Member
Same. Your pick inspired me to chronologically listen through the fugazi discography the next week or so.
CrazyDiamond84
Well-Known Member
So you're the one that scooped that from me in the last seconds
...all good though as I was able to snag another original for $29. Looking forward to give this a good listen when it arrives as well as the 33 1/3 book I ordered.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Ha, crazy. Sorry!So you're the one that scooped that from me in the last seconds
I'm still jealous of whoever got that original Germfree Adolescents stateside for like $25. I finally pulled the trigger on one that was a little more than I wanted to pay from UK because it was a relatively good deal based on prices since then. Hope it arrives in good shape too.