Fugazi, The Argument
The greatest band from Washington, D.C.'s greatest album. There's no question that you need this.
If the Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto of 13 Songs and Repeater had been offered a glimpse into their future, it's hard to tell how they would have reacted. Would MacKaye have recognized his own voice, softened with age? How would Picciotto feel about Fugazi's shift from strident punk-rock to relatively subtle post-hardcore? The evolution is not total, certainly — the verses to The Argument's "Full Disclosure" could have appeared on Red Medicine — but the bookends to The Argument, arguably Fugazi's finest album, are striking in their subtleties and intricacy.
"Cashout," which basically sets the stage for all that MacKaye has done with his excellent other band, the Evens, could only come from DC. It strongly recalls the early work by neighbors Q & Not U, for example, and the push and pull between the verses (where MacKaye's tense voice at times hums along with the backing guitars) and the chorus (unleashed, but still with cello buttressing the melody) just straight slays; drummer Brendan Canty's little snare stutter-beat and Joe Lally's head-nodding bass line make it almost funk-like. There's never been another song like it in the Fugazi discography.
Then there's "Life and Limb," Picciotto pirouetting on the apocalypse, again the rhythm section incredibly tight and restrained, matching Picciotto's breathy sighs in self-discipline. A sense of maddening control drives The Argument, and even now, after hearing this album hundreds of times, I find it startling. "The Kill," "Strangelight," "Ex-Spectator," and "Argument" all feeling just as much like tests of will as they do absolutely incredible songs.
And how incredible is "Argument"? Here's the (pre-9/11) opening lyric: "When they start falling/ Executions will commence," which is intro'd by a gorgeous little swirl of percussion and rich guitar tones. And that middle eight! Piano and strings from the bottom of the ocean, the song bubbling back up, MacKaye murmuring, "I'm on a mission/ To never agree," and then the fuse is ignited, the guitars sparked, and MacKaye's ohm-like intonation: "Here comes the argument… Here comes the argument… Here comes…"
