November 5, 1998
When people talk about indie credibility, when they cite artists that haven't sold out to corporate interests, they're talking about Ian MacKaye. And when they tell you how it's possible to become a vital, well respected band with the twin strikes of an anti-corporate aesthetic and hardcore musical bent, they're talking about Fugazi. Charging no more than $5 for a concert or $8 for a CD (which the band sells through mail order), Fugazi is what Eddie Vedder was trying to turn Pearl Jam into with his Ticketmaster litigation.
Fugazi is like the Z Magazine of the music industry - working class ethos combined with intelligence untainted by business interests. Their music evolved from the D.C. hardcore scene of the early 80's, but quickly moved beyond it; Fugazi is more rhythmically adventurous, sparser and focuses on groove more than just confrontational noise.
What's confrontational are the lyrics: MacKaye sees the American landscape as littered by apathetic couch-bound consumers, greedy amoral corporations and other ubiquitous evils. And while his stance can seem strident at times, most of us could use a kick in the ass, a righteous wake-up call. Did you vote on Tuesday? Probably not.
Still, it'd be just a lecture without the driving force of the music, and Repeater has some of their best. MacKaye's shouting (it's unfair to call it singing) and shards of guitar dissonance provide the caustic sonics, while Joe Lally's bass supports the melody and Brendan Canty rolls in the drums. This is far more melodic than most hardcore, which gives it greater emotional resonance - note the surprisingly catchy anti-capitalist anthem "Merchandise", the Sonic Youth-meets-Minutemen instrumental "Brendan #1", or the shifting dynamics of "Greed", which sounds like an early Jane's Addiction outtake. An important influence on the American underground, Fugazi deserve to be rock stars, even if that's the last thing they want.
- Jared O'Connor
political hardcore