Search - Fugazi :: End Hits

Total about-face

HUSKY BOY SUPERMODEL | 08/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fugazi, along with NoMeansNo, are pretty much the only innovative "punk" bands left in the music world today. Whereas once punk was eclectic & vibrant, it has now become a cartoon, loaded with Bad Religion and Green Day sound-alikes. Amazingly, Fugazi have completely transformed their sound and still been able to remain interesting. Gone are the dub-style bass lines, the amped-up funk drumming and the choppy power riffs. This would be the death knell for most groups, but Fugazi get away with it. Instead, I now hear a band that injects artiness and experimentation into their rock-out jams, as well as exploring their more ambient, spacious sound. "Break" is a classic Fugazi album opener, displaying a tightness that only comes with years of playing together. "Foreman's Dog" starts off with some classic rock riff, but quickly delves into a mid-pace display of tricky guitar lines. It also features the best example of their contrasting dual vocal stylings. Guy Piccioto has a sinister, minor-key delivery and a lyrical obsession with body parts, while Ian MacKaye delivers anthemic choruses and themes in his sing-songy yelp. Their songs are deceptively simple. The band aren't the greatest musicians, but have the inventiveness to take their limited abilities and combine all these simple elements into unique compositions filled with time changes and unusual chord progressions. The instrumental "Arpeggiator" sounds like it should be the theme to the Charge of the Light Brigade, it has a familiar feeling to it, like you've heard it before in a classical music piece. "Recap Modotti" is a laid-back, moody number that could easily be used in a movie somewhere, featuring bassist Joe Lally on lead vox. The band is light years ahead of any of their contemporaries. Even their fans have to catch up to the band's constant, gradual style transitions. "Guilford Fall" utilizes feedback and droning one-note chords, but somehow remains catchy as hell. Granted, songs like "Floating Boy" & "Pink Frosty" go nowhere, but as long as Fugazi keep one-upping themselves, even the lacklustre tunes become bearable. I'm totally not into their personal politics, but they are to be admired for doing whatever they feel like, fans and foes be damned. It's as if they knew that they'd eventually lose a large chunk of their fan base whether they sold out or not, and decided to at least amuse themselves. They've gone from rhythm-driven crowd-pleasers to more guitar and vocal based aural soundscapes. The rhythm section is more subdued but still very involved, ocassionally breaking into their well-worn, but still fun, formula (see "Five Corporations"). "End Hits" & "Red Medicine" are worlds apart from their debut ep's & "Repeater", and the end results of this evolution have been staggering. It's almost like one great band has split into 2 amazing bands. Fugazi are an awesome group that have been criminally ignored, due to their refusal to affiliate with corporate-driven labels and radio/video stations. Instead of taking the money and running, they've stuck to their guns and become an important piece of musical history. Give them a chance. It'll take a few listens, but when they grow on you, they are a pleasant surprise in the copycat music world."

"Oh Waaaah! Not hardcore enough for me."

James Burns | Bellingham, WA | 12/20/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"People give Fugazi heat for musically straying from punk convention. You know what? Those people are probably the same morons who, like the hesher interviewed in the film "Instrument," like to recall Ian's glory days in Black Flag, whilst pronouncing his name wrong. Fugazi fly their middle-finger flag, not only to the music industry, but also to the idiots who think anything that strays from the four chords at 200 beats-per-minute hardcore "isn't punk rock, dude." (note: these are the same people who have never even heard of the Minutemen or Big Black or Suicide). This album shows Fugazi at their best: when they're not afraid to stray from the hardcore they helped pioneer. In fact, "Five Corporations" and "Place Position" are the only heavy Fugazi-style rockers here. Yeah, it's no "Repeater," but thank god that someone's figured out how to establish musical tension without their veins sticking out of their necks, and is able to do so without being horribly repetitive or boring. To my fellow post-punk enthusiasts: enjoy! To all the "punk rock" morons: there are plenty of hardcore bands that haven't changed their sound since 1983. Go take off your shirts and violently mangle your sweaty friends in the pit, and let my friends and I enjoy "End Hits" in peace."