Tuesday 22 January 2008

FUGAZI – STEADY DIET OF NOTHING (DISCHORD)


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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