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Rating: "13 Songs" is the first album by the American band Fugazi, a name derived from a phrase often used by American military: "Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In." The Washington-based band is a key reference point for the musical scene of the eastern United States and the entire punk-rock movement of the 90s.
Fugazi was founded by Ian MacKaye, who was part of the band Minor Threat, in 1987. Alongside singer-guitarist MacKaye, the lineup includes Guy Picciotto on guitar and vocals, Joe Lally on bass, and Brendan Canty on drums. The group combines MacKaye's experience and intelligence with the skill and creativity of Lally and Canty and the musical flair of Guy Picciotto, resulting in a sound that is strong, hard, raw, and tinged with melodies that make it unique and direct. Fugazi is a band that best expresses the hardcore of Minor Threat, the punk of the late '80s, and indie rock; they are indeed considered a post-hardcore punk band of which they are pioneers. Their first album showcases their best intentions and some masterpieces from their vast repertoire, which would later inspire many punk bands and beyond. "13 Songs" begins with the sensational "Waiting Room," a signature song for this band and partly for the musical scene of that period; the initial bass line is one of the best in the album, almost funk-like: stunning in its catchiness and pounding along with the drums, forming a syncopated rhythm that introduces the band's trademark muted guitar. The song continues with Ian’s powerful and hoarse voice, exploding in the final frenzy, echoed by Guy Picciotto, who takes over the second track "Bulldog Front," where a dark atmosphere and significant sound wall are created, thanks to powerful Fugazi-style guitar riffs, confirming Ian and the band's hardcore power in the finale.
The third track "Bad Mouth," which I find very beautiful in its simplicity, is led by the excellent Ian, who, after a purely rock introduction, almost recites a nursery rhyme in the verse and, with a very powerful and fast drumming, outlines a good punk track. We continue our musical journey with "Burning," where we find a chaotic and almost infernal atmosphere with peculiar guitar riffs and Brendan Canty in top form; all serving the warm and piercing voice of Picciotto. Guy is then the protagonist of the fifth song, where, flanked by Ian's screams, he escalates the track from the clean guitar of the intro and through the interlude’s phrases; from Picciotto's second lead vocal song "Give me the Cure," we move to "Suggestion," where MacKaye takes command, always supported by the extroverted and ingenious Guy. In "Suggestion," the duration exceeds the powerful and edgy two-minute masterpieces like "Waiting Room" and "Give me the Cure," yet it does not detract from the extreme energy and Fugazi punch. Notable is the remarkable work of the legendary Joe Lally on bass and the skill of Ian MacKaye both on vocals and guitar, who, with extreme speed and creativity, is capable of significant rhythm changes that set a mood evocative as the title suggests, epic Ian's scream "Why can't I walk down a street free of suggestion?" against the backdrop of Lally's initial riff.
"Glue Man" closes the first part of the album, which was originally divided into two EPs "Fugazi," the first, and "Margin Walker" the second; this is a good punk song where Picciotto yells and stirs, giving a very aggressive tone. "Margin Walker" is the eighth track: pure punk-rock, violent, fast, made with simple chords, fast drumming, another outstanding bass riff, and all the rage of the MacKaye-Picciotto duo, a masterpiece. With "And the Same," there's a moment of calm mixed with unique guitar moments and a good singing influenced by Sonic Youth. "Burning Too" expresses the anger and violence of the individual in today's society, "We are consumed by society," thanks to Ian's mighty voice and a good guitar with lots of palm muting as in almost all the songs on the CD. Both "Provisional" and "Lockdown" are sung by Picciotto alone, the first more reflective and melodic, the second fast with a rawer sound, both representing decent post-hardcore work. The album "13 Songs" ends with a final masterpiece, the beautiful "Promises," showing another stunningly atmospheric surreal and creative side. Spectacular Ian MacKaye's voice and guitar in this track, as well as Lally’s bass and Canty's drums, which mark an initial drama that then gives way to well-paced verses with hallucinogenic interludes. "Promises are shit" at the beginning and "Promises Promises Promises words" shouted at the end sum up the rage, culture, and power of this American band.
"13 Songs" is ultimately a remarkable album for a debut album, also representing an important work of what was hardcore and the indie punk/rock culture in general. The band has always been consistent and aligned with its principles and mentality: a crucial element is the absolute "DIY" (Do It Yourself), expressed in complete independence from any commercial circuit. The group’s policy has always been not to do merchandise, self-produce, play in places like free, public spaces, and keep the live and album prices very low and accessible to everyone. What can I say, an exceptional album, truly strong, original, and loaded like a ticking time bomb... so get it along with the subsequent ones because it is really worth it very much indeed.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Waiting Room (02:54)
i am a patient boy, i wait, i wait, i wait,
my time is like water down a drain, everybody's moving, everything is moving
please don't leave me to remain- in the waiting room
i dont want the news, im not a part of it, i dont want the news, i have no use for it
sitting outside of town, everybody's always down, because...they cant get up
but i don't sit idly by, im planning a big suprise, im gonna fight for what i want to be
i wont make the same mistakes because i know how much time that wastes
function is the key- in the wating room
02 Bulldog Front (02:53)
Ahistorical - you think this shit just dropped right out of the sky
My analysis: it's time to harvest the crust from your eyes
To surge and refine, to rage and define ourselves against your line
So sorry friend but you must resign
You want to figure it out we'll throw down, we'll throw down
Wou want to figure it out well throw down your bulldog front
Bold bold mouthtalking not so bold now that you've eaten your own
Lips flecked, mouthspecked you strip the skin right off of the bone
And I would never say you act without precision or care,
But it's all attention to armor, to the armor you wear so well
Let's knock and check to see if there's somebody home
03 Bad Mouth (02:36)
You can't be what you were
So you better start being just what you are
You can't be what you were
Time is now and it's running out
You can't be what you were
So you better start living the life
That you're talking about
You can't be what you were
No movement, no movement, no movement
In a bad mouth
It betrays a bad mind
05 Give Me the Cure (02:59)
I never thought too hard on dying before
I never sucked on the dying
I never licked the side of dying before
And now I'm feeling the dying
You've got your hands over your ears
You've got your mouth running on
You've got your eyes looking for something
That can never be found - like a reason
Good god I don't need a reason
I never thought too hard on dying before
I never thought on the dying
I never held the hand of dying before
And now I'm feeling the dying
And you've got to....
Give me the shot
Give me the pill
Give me the cure
Now what you've done to my world
I never thought too hard on dying before
I never thought on the dying
I never walked this side of dying before
And now feeling like I'm...
Under your skin...
Over your eyes...
I'm at the tip of your fingers...
It's a good reason
Give me the shot
Give me the pill
Give me the cure
Now what you've done to my world
Comin' around, comin' around
Comin' around, comin' down...
Give me the shot
Give me the pill
Give me the cure
Now what you've done to my world (x2)
Give me the shot!
06 Suggestion (04:44)
Why can't I walk down a street free of suggestion? (repeat)
Is my body my only trait in the eyes of men? (in the eyes of men)
I've got some skin
You want to look in
There lays no reward in what you discover
You spent yourself watching me suffer
Suffer your words, suffer you eyes, suffer your hands
Suffer your interpretation of what it is to be a man
I've got some skin
You want to look in
She does nothing to deserve it
He only wants to observe it
We sit back like they taught us
We keep quiet like they taught us
He just wants to prove it
She does nothing to remove it
We don't want anyone to mind us
So we play the roles that they assigned us
She does nothing to conceal it
He touches her 'cause he wants to feel it
We blame her for being there
But we are all guilty
07 Glue Man (04:21)
I spent it all
On the bag
On the drag
The sun comes up, the tide rolls out
The trucks roll by the park still a park
Where children play and pick up stones
Anything to make them feel less alone - he's alone
His mind is his own town where all his thoughts run aground
They fall all over and down
I spent it all
On the bag
On the drag
The sun comes down, the tide rolls back
We crawl our way back to the house we call home
He holds his home in the palm of his hand
And he says, and he says
You are my everyone, you are my anyone
You are my anytime, you are my every time y
You are my everywhere...anywhere...
08 Margin Walker (02:30)
You make yourself so beautiful,
You make yourself so, so beautiful
And now i feel like i'm going,
I'm going to set myself on fire.
I'm going to set myself up at a window,
This margin walker wants a clear view,
This margin walker wants a clear shot,
and now i'm shooting it right on you.
Untraceable, untranslatable,
I can't explain all i ever wanted to do
Trajectory passing right through me
Threads my needle sends it right through you.
You make yourself so visible,
You make yourself so, so visible,
And now i feel like i'm in the tread of
some bastard jealousy.
Up here, above the avenue, up here, where
the things you do,
They lend me a problem with the language,
split my seams and then they drop in a fuse.
10 Burning Too (02:41)
Anytime but now
Anywhere but here
Anyone but me
I've got to think about my own life
We are consumed by society
We are obsessed with variety
We are all filled with anxiety that this world would not survive
We gotta put it out the sky is burning
We gotta put it out the water's burning
We gotta put it out the earth is burning
Outrage but then they say...
Anytime but now
Anywhere but here
Anyone but me
I've got to think about my own life
The world is not our facility
We have a responsibility
To use our abilities to keep this place alive
Right here right now
Do it. Now. Do it.
11 Provisional (02:17)
Somewhere in these private minds,
The last one comes just in time to clear out
The chambers and sew up the lips,
'Cause that's the price to pay for hoping every slips not a slide.
In other words not to get it wrong,
It's pointless to walk when it's past time to run.
Secured under the weight of watchful eyes,
Lulled to sleep under clear expansive skies.
Somewhere in these prying hearts
Conflicting histories tear us apart
And we hope we don't get what we deserve,
Hide behind the targets in front of all the people we serve.
12 Lockdown (02:10)
Blood on the pedals, blood on the grips
Steel leveled, chest level smear
My lips let them slip into a
Smile because now after
awhile it's all we're seen to do.
'Cause the business is as business does
Trash is trash until it's sealed from above
and left on to the corner of your mind to disappear.
Lockdown the remains.
Machine works best when the machine's not shy,
Trash is trash but trash from cash must divide.
Body bent body doubled, dismissed by time
A 5 to 9 will serve the 9 to 5.
Lockdown the remains.
13 Promises (04:01)
words
words and expressions
all these confessions
of where we stand
how I see you
and you see me
dedications of symmetry
together we will be
forever
promises are shit
we speak the way we breathe
present air will have to do
rearrange and see it through
stupid fucking words
they tangle us in our desires
free me from this give and take
free me from this great debate
there were no truer words than when spoken
let that stand as it should
there was nothing left when broken
we grab anything when we fall
promises are shit
we speak the way we breathe
present air will have to do
rearrange and see it through
stupid fucking words
they tangle us in our desires
free me from this give and take
free me from this great debate
you will do what you do
I will do what I do
we will do what we do
rearrange and see it through
go where you think you want to go
do everything you were sent here for
fire at will if you hear that call
touch your hand to the wall at night
promises
words
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Other reviews
By Festwca
An extremely catchy bass riff, then the drums and 'stopped' guitar come in... the track continues to amaze, amaze, amaze and amaze!
Fugazi have a way of managing the sound material that makes any material interesting, I bet they could even transform Songs About Jane into a stratospheric masterpiece.
