Dear Friends,
What a delightful Sunday afternoon. Being around people you love is the best. That’s a way that I am a fucking billionaire. I have lots of love in my life.
Spent some time with Granny in the morning and it was good to see her. We had a really nice talk and I was able to fill her in on what everyone was doing and had been up to in the two weeks since I had seen her. Last week I was feeling kinda poorly for a few days, so I don’t take any chances spreading it down there. None of those old folks need a cold, that’s for sure.
After leaving Granny, I ran a few errands and around 2pm we went over to the J’s house for some conversation and green chili and cookies. It was wonderful. We got home with stuffed bellies and I rued the fact that Liam was working and I would have to pick him up.
It’s not really something too worth bitching about, though.
*****
Today is the first of ten school days we have to get through before winter break. That’s the way I am looking at it. My lessons are planned and I’m ready to have a good day. It should be a nice first of ten.
*****
We are now just over 23 years since the last Fugazi LP. That sucks. I have to believe the band had at least one more great record in them. As much as I love all their other records, The Argument is my favorite.
Maybe they didn’t have another great record in them. The could have come to the conclusion that they had done everything they wanted to do and that The Argument was a great way to go out. My hat is off to them if that is the case. Self-awareness is a really good quality to have.
I’m not talking about the self-awareness that a lot of musicians have in spades where they know they are great and behave as such. Fugazi could have been total dicks as human beings and I would have still loved their music, but they aren’t dicks. They are good dudes. Truly.
The Argument is eleven tracks, but really only ten songs. The intro isn’t a song, but it does set the tone. “Cashout,” however is a motherfucking song. From the opening slide on the bass strings (guessing), to the final note, it is as compelling as any of the Fugazi songs. At least for me, but I’m guessing that I am not alone amongst Fugazi fans in loving “Cashout.”
It’s perfect.
The lyrics are about how people were being forced out of their homes because developers were buying up all the land. Nothing has changed in that capacity. If anything, it’s even harder today, 23 years later, to afford your own place to live. Forget about buying anything. Fugazi always did have great lyrics, though.
Riff-wise, The Argument stacks up from top to bottom as the best Fugazi record, as well. There is no let up after “Cashout.” When “Full Disclosure” kicks in, there is no drop off and the album just gets stronger and stronger. How does that work, you may ask? Fugazi made it so.
“Epic Problem” is another favorite of mine. I love the little bridge where it just features Ian Mackaye and the guitar for a measure or two. It’s right about the three-minute mark. The way the band comes back in to being loud again is just so damn good. I love that an album I’ve heard a billion times can still evoke such emotion.
“Life and Limb” is another stellar song. The first four songs rotate back and forth between Ian Mackaye and Guy Picciotto singing lead, but as I’ve mentioned in previous writing about Fugazi, there is never a feeling of it being separate or too different when they switch lead vocals back and forth. It’s always Fugazi.
The bridge part of “Life and Limb” is also fucking brilliant. Mackaye’s guitar work is so catchy. Fugazi were masters at making music that had space and allowed all the instruments to do their thing while the vocals added their texture.
Joe Lally takes over on lead vocals on “The Kill” and it is a wonderful change of pace and also a great song. Mackaye’s backing vox (not sure if there is some from Picciotto, too…maybe there is) add a great bit of texture, as well. Lally’s bass on the song is also amazing, as usual. He kills it on The Argument.
“Strangelight” is another one that I fell in love with back in 2001 and haven’t stopped loving ever since. It is such a great riff. It is truly sublime. “Oh” comes in so big after the way “Strangelight” ends. I mean, the ending of “Strangelight” is almost Beatles-esque like “A Day in the Life” in how it swells to this crescendo of brilliance.
I haven’t mentioned Brendan Canty yet, but he’s brilliant on this record, too. “Ex-Spectator” starts off with almost forty seconds of just drums. The guitars and bass come in and the song just builds to an almost swirling height of Mackaye shout singing in the way that makes you believe every word. Killer bassline on “Ex-Spectator,” too.
“Nightshop” is the last Picciotto lead vocal on a Fugazi recording. The riff is so catchy behind his vocals that you can’t help but just get swept right into the mood the song creates. It’s one of desperation and wanting to just blend in. It’s almost like this song says, “Don’t look at me,” but you can’t help but look anyway.
“Argument” is the last Fugazi song. I hate it for this. I love it, too, but I still hate that it is the last Fugazi song. I’m listening to it as I type this and remembering how much I loved this record when I first heard it. I didn’t know, at the time, that this would be it for the band in terms of recorded material as Fugazi.
It’s another timelessly political Fugazi song. One could argue (sorry, no pun intended that I will ever admit to, at least) that a lot of Fugazi lyrics are still as true today as they were when they were first recorded.
“When they start falling/executions will commence/sides will not matter now/matter makes no sense/how did a difference/become a disease?”
Yep. I miss them but I have this record. The Argument lives on.
*****
See you tomorrow.
My billions according to AI.
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