fugazi

Fugazi, also officially referred to as 7 Songs, is the first, self-titled EP by the American post-hardcore band of the same name. Unlike all other Fugazi releases, Guy Picciotto did not contribute guitar to this record; all guitar was performed by Ian MacKaye. It was originally recorded in June 1988 and released in November 1988 on vinyl and again in 1989 on the compilation release 13 Songs along with the following EP Margin Walker. The photo used for the album cover was taken on June 30th, 1988 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. The release features "Waiting Room" which is often seen as the band's most well-known song (later covered by artists as diverse as Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Wildhearts), notorious for "the attention-getting drop into silence that occurs at the 22-second mark" as well as for it's "relentless ska/reggae-inflected drive", and "Suggestion", a "Meters-meets-Ruts thrust."

Tracks

From the opening swarms of "Exit Only," you can tell Steady Diet of Nothing will differ from Fugazi's earlier records. Repeater's excellence can't be denied, but the band stood in danger of stagnating it's sound. To it's benefit, Fugazi made some changes, employing more herk-a-jerk rhythms and dub influences, and changing up the lyrical focus. Actually, the lyrics get a bit vague - bordering on equivocality at times - which has it's advantages and disadvantages. With Steady Diet, Fugazi get more economical and less forceful. Though not nearly as neck-gnawing as Repeater, Steady Diet still packs a sizable wallop, but with slower tempos and less deliberate instrumentation. As always, a poison-tipped dart is pointed at the government, media, and major entertainment outlets. Ian MacKaye's "destroy your television" rant on "Polish" is one of the more direct and simple songs. His "KYEO" comes straight from the rice paddy or homefront, depending on interpretation. It urges the listener to always remain aware, whether awaiting the enemy's next battle move or remaining blissfully unaware of how people can be taken advantage of by others. As with the rest of the band's catalog, lyrics are provided in the booklet. This makes things much easier on the intent listener, as both Picciotto and MacKaye have weird voices that become unintelligible when howled over their instrumental din. The lyric sheet is most useful on Picciotto's "Latin Roots." He's not warning you that "it's time to meet Jamaicans," as it sounds, but rather "it's time to meet your makers." Not quite lending itself to "Purple Haze"-like levels of butchery, but important to point out nonetheless.

• 1 Exit Only
• 2 Reclamation
• 3 Nice New Outfit
• 4 Stacks
• 5 Latin Roots
• 6 Steady Diet
• 7 Long Division
• 8 Runaway Return
• 9 Polish
• 10 Dear Justice Letter
• 11 Kyeo