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Rating: I must admit that I had never listened to them before. Fugazi. The review published here of "Repeater" got me off my butt to go look for them and, after a few hours, I come home with this CD in my hands... Although, to be honest, I had no idea what to expect while listening... Hardcore... for people like me, a definition to take with a grain of salt; Hardcore has never driven me crazy. I've always been crazy about Post-Everything. Post-Hardcore for example.
I place the CD in the player, a few seconds pass, and I start to have strange twitches, as if the initial distortion of "Exit Only" reminded me of something (Jesus Lizard?), listening to the rhythmic section with skewed, irregular, obsessive, mad, frantic, hysterical tempos; that screamed voice... at times graceless. I listen at unreasonable volumes to the other tracks as well, focusing my attention particularly on "Latin Roots" and the instrumental "Steady Diet". Stripped-down riffs, deprived of emotion alternate with concrete saws of sound tissue that float repetitive, bare, jerky, irritating symphonies, with the voices of the two singers tearing their throats and competing to see who can shout the loudest into the microphone, alternating between fullness and emptiness. All very Hardcore. All very Post.
Without lingering too much, I listened to this album three times in a row, astounded by the fact that I had neglected this band for too long. I knew they were Hardcore. But not this type of Hardcore. Which can also be called Hardcore with strong noise-rock or post-hardcore shades. In the sense that they were too far ahead compared to the bands that played it in those years.
What else to add... the discovery of this band has opened new frontiers for me... I think I will make their entire discography mine, starting with 13 Songs, their first work, then moving on to Repeater and all the others. Listen, for example, to track number four "Stacks", and you will realize you are facing a band as insane and non-conformist as few. Venture into the depths of a geometric sound, never predictable, never banal, always monstrously current. But don't call them songs. I beg you. Don't belittle this band and this rare gem from the '90s.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Exit Only (03:14)
Exuent.
This is three minute axcess,
So pop the question.
Will we leave the last place burning?
Or do we just get leaving?
Red-light, red-light my mind moves to refuse that filter,
Are you still surprised?
Keep my back above the tire tracks.
Sympatric.
I'll meet you,
I will meet you,
I'll meet you at the exit.
02 Reclamation (03:22)
These are our demands:
We want control of our bodies.
Decisions will now be ours.
You can carry out your noble actions,
We will carry our noble scars.
Reclamation.
No one here is asking,
No one here is asking,
But there is a question of trust.
You will do what looks good to you on paper,
We will do what we must.
Return, return, return.
Carry my body.
03 Nice New Outfit (03:28)
You like the cut,
You like the fit,
Wide in the shoulders,
Trim at the hips.
What a nice new outfit,
All straight clean lines.
There's blood in your mouth,
But not in mine.
You think that I'm a sucker for it,
That we're all fodder for this.
Quick purchase once brought to market,
Dress it up and it's sold.
The place i'm offered is a bedsitter's tour,
A worthless sightsee of your adventure.
In your nice new outfit,
All straight clean lines.
There's blood in your mouth,
Dressed to the nines.
You're number one with a bullet,
That's money well spent,
Your mouth plastered like poster,
Address yourself success.
You can pinpoint your chimney
And drop one down its length.
In your nice new outfit,
Sorry about the mess.
05 Latin Roots (03:14)
lying on our backs, this is your parents' bed, a good place to be laid 'cos it's so neatly made. staring at the ceiling, vein to vein the lines look the same as the ones that you're seeing, and then you start speaking: tracing your father's footsteps in your mother's shoes, going up and over and across your latin roots. point points back to its origin, across the world cogs are clogged with the sand, here the air breathes freely and our tongues work loosely, border approaches border, you're using your hands and smearing your r's. i'm looking over my shoulder, strained resistance to scour the door for you father's footsteps or your mother's shoes, coming up and over, cut across your latin roots. it's time to meet you makers
07 Long Division (02:14)
It's a long time coming,
It's a long way down,
It's long division,
Cracked and divide.
This is a parting,
Some separation,
We lay in pieces,
Cracked to survive.
I'm not your villain,
Not your adversary,
I'm not your reason
To crack and divide.
It's long division,
Crack and divide.
08 Runaway Return (03:59)
Out of the ashtray, into the ashtray.
Out of the ashtray.
There's nothing living,
There's nothing given,
Weekender's vision turns to working shoes.
There's nothing living, there's nothing given,
Weekender gives in, puts on his working suit.
There's nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,
Nothing forgiven for the young idea.
There's nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,
And nobody seems surprised,
The runaway returns.
Welcome home son,
Guess what we we're doing while you were gone?
Cocktail party's in gear and we were so glad that you're here,
Why don't you sit down?
Out of the ashtray, into the ashtray,
Out of the ashtray, into the family car,
Out of the ashtray, into the ashtray,
Out of the ashtray, into the family's arms.
There's nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,
Nothing forgiven for the young idea.
There's nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,
And nobody seems surprised,
The runaway returns.
Welcome back.
10 Dear Justice Letter (03:28)
Justice brennan,
Take out some insurance on me, baby baby.
It's just the I'm busted and dripping,
My sorry lungs are all leaking,
It's all over, it's all over i said,
The last fair deal going down.
You let your gown to the ground,
But I'm not waiting around until the kiss-off.
Wasn't it you who said yeah you can shoot me lightly,
But ask me to be excused, I won't go die politely
Anytime that you want you can shoot me lightly,
But ask me to be excused, I won't go die politely.
Justice brennan, I know it's not your fault,
no baby no baby.
It's just that you're busted and dripping,
Your sorry lungs are all leaking,
It's not over, it's not over, I said.
Here comes the kiss-off.
11 KYEO (02:58)
the troops are quiet tonight,
but it's not alright,
because we know they're planning something.
don't you know things have settled down, down, down
but silence is a dangerous sound,
we must, we must, we must keep our eyes open,
see what we see,
what once was promised now will be.
still uncertain?
get off that hang,
don't wait for the bang,
the tools, they will be swinging,
but we will not be beaten down.
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