FUGAZI – STEADY DIET
OF NOTHING (DISCHORD)
The second full-length
studio album from Fugazi is a staunch gesture of maturity following the popular
but somewhat straightforward Repeater. Having now seemingly taken stock of where
things were at and where things were heading, a fresh new approach was now on
the agenda.
Steady Diet Of Nothing
feels carved out of granite. More so
than ever the guitars are blunt, dense packages of sound that were impossible
to disrupt and break. Before their relationship
with their instruments was good but now it was great.
The tone of the album
is generally bleak beginning with that downbeat title through to the dark tones
of the cover art exhibiting a disillusion stare into space.
It all begins with the
sound of harnessed distortion sculpted into something akin to a swarm of
bees. As the volume increases so does
the menace as the bass of Joe Lally drops in to push things forward. This is “Exit Only” which spins the mantra
and repeat of “exeunt” prescribing their mission in code from the off. These are not just words, this is a sermon.
Without missing a beat
the record immediately segues into “Reclamation” and a set of ringing, noodling
guitars that Sonic Youth in their prime would be hard pushed to
accomplish. Then once again the rhythm
section enters the song stepping in like a giant crushing a village before it
all calms down and Mackaye announces “here are our demands” as Lally and Canty
drive the song across a bridge until all hell breaks out again. This is a song about personal freedom.
This is their most
overtly political album addressing issues on both local and national
levels. The most explicit example of
this is the reference to William J. Brennan in “Dear Justice Letter” and its
aggressive plead.
The prickly “Nice New
Outfit” offers a wide range of uncomfortable sentiments while I swear/maintain
existing as the song the White Stripes took from wholesale when they came up
with “Blue
Orchid”. This is not a song aimed
at Wall Street.
“America is just a
word but I used it”.
A procession remains
as the stop/start motion of “Stacks” makes for an awkward listen while
instrumental track “Steady Diet” is pure cacophony as Fugazi’s guitar screams
as never before. At times this section
of the album feels a tad clunky, not least on the broken hymn setup of “Long
Division”. However it all serves a
purpose as the record closes in blistering form.
When “Runaway Return”
picks up the slack it does so with almost orchestral sounding guitar. Then as Guy reels off an ashtray analogy an
eventual surge takes hold as the song soars in resignation as the vocalist
fully submits to the conceit.
Then Steady Diet Of
Nothing reaches its huge culmination as stand out track of the album “Dear
Justice Letter” arrives like a firing tank with a most direct message from
Picciotto which soon prompts response from Mackaye as all around them the
drilling sound of the band in full flow rocks the boat scratching the fret
until taking various sharp turns at the chorus as Guy pushes on unflinching and
defiant. And then with that message
delivered “KYEO” arrives like a get away car and guitars that sound like sirens
as Mackaye takes over the role of giving warning (“but silence is a dangerous
sound”).
“We will not be beaten
down”.
With its earthy gritty
vibe and texture, Steady Diet Of Nothing is probably the most underrated work
in the Fugazi cannon. Here is a
collection of tracks that audibly display a band growing and maturing. If only other hardcore acts had the
humility.
Thesaurus moment:
mettlesome.
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