FUGAZI – REPEATER
(DISCHORD)
Repeater was the first
full length studio album by Fugazi. At
this stage they were still the heat of hardcore respectability still benefiting
from the legacy of Minor Threat and the mentality coupled with that. However both their ambition and ability was
looking further/higher and thus they found themselves having to juggle the
balance between the past and present and keeping everyone/anyone interested
satisfied.
Repeater is actually
an obscure nod to The Beatles’ Revolver. This was a band evolving while also acknowledging the repetition
of the process. As I said, Fugazi was
stepping up.
Released a year before
Nevermind
and grunge, this was self sufficient artefact, a truly independent album that
was reaching big numbers and eventually passed the million mark in sales
without an major label assistance. This
was a band tapping into something.
The basic eleven track
album clocks in at just over thirty minutes.
Within these motions the band explores its own existence, subtly
experimenting with its sounds but never really fully cutting lose. And why should they while still being at the
top of their game regardless.
From the off Fugazi
were genius at album structure. All of
their studio albums are perfectly book ended and Repeater is no exception as it
opens with “Turnover” which begins with lighthouse-esqe glimpses of guitar
before the rhythm section gets involved and a more measured line takes hold as
anticipation grows. Then it fully kicks
in as a huge wave of power engulfs proceedings as Guy screams “languor rises
reaching” which hangs in the air until his next command.
Things get exciting
when the title track kicks in with a scream of its name as Ian and Guy go rabid
on their guitars before the intro calms down and Mackaye begins pointing
defensive fingers shouting “you say I need a job, I got my own business, you
wanna know what I do, that’s none of your fucking business”.
With that the record
pauses for a breather with the instrumental “Brendan #1”, the natural accompaniment
to “Joe #1” from the seven inch. This
no doubt is a track born out of stolen moments from playing live.
Famously the band
never did t-shirts, never soiled its pure existence as being an artistic
endeavour first and a reluctant way of making anything more than a living
second. “Merchandise” is the track that
expresses their feelings most explicitly on this matter. Opening with the line “when we have nothing
left to give” courageously and honestly Mackaye continues “there will be no
reason for us to live” expressing awareness that so few acts tend to have. This is probably their most explicit song
about selling out as when the pace steps up they enter the accusation “what
could a businessman ever want more than to have us sucking in his store” as
suddenly the items on offer take on a much darker meaning. Basically if you’re a proud consumer, you’re
a junky.
Somewhat amusingly
today as I listen to “Two Beats Off” I find myself working on a set of business
accounts where the owner has plainly fiddled and neglected to pay tax on his
fat earnings. And this is no white
collar crime, it’s a man that works with his hands doing flooring. He just got greedy and as per the worlds of
this song “caught red handed”. There is
some sympathy attached to the track as the jittery verses offer a calm take on
proceedings. Then again the track does
arrive following the hostile, accusatory “Greed”.
Away from the meaning
and lyrical content Repeater contains a couple of pure pleasures in
“Sieve-Fisted Find” and “Styrofoam”, not that they tracks without message. The former holds a very exciting,
anticipation caked build before experiencing one hell of a pull back, an
organic trajectory changing hook that confounds proceedings and lets you know
you are in the presence of greatness.
This is the band pulling at the listener’s leash. With that “Styrofoam” exhibits a similar
kind of playfulness and treatment of its audience tickling before stepping up
the pace and daring/challenging the observer to try and keep up. The words “everybody’s down, we pulled each
other down” coupled with a chorus stating “we are all bigots” is quite self
flagellating and in different hands could be quite defeating but coming from
Fugazi, knowing the attitude and origins it is plainly a command to improve.
“Blueprint” offers a
contradicting motion. It is a big,
blunt, brash gesture of a track. It
doesn’t so much as fly as just bashes the listener over the head as Guy opens
shouting “I’m not playing with you” in repetition. It’s a big rock number that eventually exhibits a call and
response gesture from the two headed monster at the front dictating “never mind
what’s been selling, its what you’re buying and receiving defiled” more or less
telling the listener “shut up and listen”.
Then with that outro
of “Shut The Door” occurs as the band leisurely plays out offering a set of
everyday contradictions while drifting off to better places asking “ever been
cruel?” before arriving at some nightmare scenario and the end of connection
ahead of the song breaking into an all out sonic onslaught in disciplined
fashion. “Shut the door so I can
leave”.
I first bought and
heard this album when I was going through a transition stage. It was a time when old friends still
lingering and fresh ones had arrived.
Suddenly there felt some kind of decision had to be made, a test of
loyalty to be taken. In the end I moved
on and went with the new. My old
friends had already betrayed me, you can’t reject after you have been
rejected. Music such as this is important. It can expand you opinions and open up your
opportunities. When so much good is to
be gained, why question?
With that the 3
Songs EP is tagged onto the end of the CD version of the album thus
disrupting the cohesion but those tracks needed to be available on the format
some how.
This is the best
selling Fugazi record but not the best.
Thesaurus moment:
prevailing.
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