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| Image source: fanart.tv |
Album: 13 Songs
Release date: October 1989
Track Listing:
From Fugazi (1988)
1. "Waiting Room" – 2:53 (MacKaye)
2. "Bulldog Front" – 2:53 (Picciotto)
3. "Bad Mouth" – 2:35 (MacKaye)
4. "Burning" – 2:39 (Picciotto)
5. "Give Me the Cure" – 2:58 (Picciotto)
6. "Suggestion" – 4:44 (MacKaye)
7. "Glue Man" – 4:23 (Picciotto)
From Margin Walker (1989)
8. "Margin Walker" – 2:30 (Picciotto)
9. "And the Same" – 3:27 (MacKaye)
10. "Burning Too" – 2:50 (MacKaye)
11. "Provisional" – 2:17 (Picciotto)
12. "Lockdown" – 2:10 (Picciotto)
13. "Promises" – 4:02 (MacKaye)
Rating: 8.0/10
If you're into post-hardcore and/or looking for a classic post-hardcore sound (or you're just searching for something heavy and angry to listen to), look no further than Fugazi's 13 Songs. This album is a compilation of the band's first two EPs (Fugazi and Margin Walker) and was released in 1989. The track list consists of songs that contain angst-driven lyrics accompanied by also angst-driven melodies and riffs and Brendan Canty's superb drumming style. However, the listener would be hesitant to embrace this angst as current post-hardcore bands take it into the realm of cliche lyrics (but that's another review for another time). But with 13 Songs, Fugazi takes their lyrics to be far from cliche and into something that is truly contemplative about the individual and the despair that a listener experiences in his/her own private life without sounding kitsch or corny.
Reviewing and listening to an album like 13 Songs is something I rarely do because I'm not really into post-hardcore. I apologize in advance to the certain age group I might offend, but the main reason for this lack of interest is due to the biased view I have towards [current] "post-hardcore" bands that some young persons these days listen to that fuel their angst, self-loathing tendencies, and misanthropy (but hey, if that's what you're into, then disregard this review and carry on). I put post-hardcore in quotations because after listening to Fugazi, I realized that what some young folks these days consider to be post-hardcore isn't actually post-hardcore at all.
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| Fugazi EP. Image source: runforcoverstore.com |
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| Fugazi, Margin Walker. Image source: rockthatfront.com |
13 Songs changed my perspective on the genre from being something that is all-around repulsive no matter what band is playing it to a genre that is enjoyable with authentic roots and motivations. One of the things I liked about listening to this album (aside from hearing Brendan Canty's drumming) is that it serves as good background music during intense study sessions. Yes, I listened to this album while I was studying and it boosted my ability to focus to optimal levels. In no way, shape, or form is this comment meant to belittle the album and the band's musicianship because when I say that it's good background music, I mean it in a very positive way. The fact that I made it through listening to this entire album without cringing in displeasure or skipping tracks speaks volumes about its quality.
Another thing I liked about this album is the variety. The album breaks your expectations and proves to the listener that post-hardcore doesn't have to always be about fast-paced riffs or how loud the band can play. Fugazi puts a balance to this noise level by playing softly in "And the Same" with a steady bass-dependent melody to playing loud in "Lockdown" with distorted guitar sounds and short-but-fast riffs. They especially balance this noise out in "Bulldog Front" as the verse starts with a simple, controlled chord progression and Guy Picciotto singing spiteful lyrics which then blows up to a loud, climactic chorus.
The only pitfall I noticed from this album is that it started to lose some steam towards the end. This seems to be a phenomenon on many albums that I have heard as they start off very strong but eventually lose equilibrium. It could be that hearing an album non-stop drains my energy, but if we considered the tracks to be rearranged in a different order, this may not be the case. Note that the first half of the album (tracks 1 to 7 from Fugazi EP) is more upbeat than the second half. The change in the overall mood from motivated to mellow can have a negative impact on the listener and may cause them to stop playing the album before it reaches the end.
Despite the intentional ordering of the tracks according to the EPs they came from, this change in overall mood shows how Fugazi manages to manipulate the post-hardcore genre into an array of emotions and styles. 13 Songs captures the band's ability to do this and convinces the listener who is not fond of the genre that post-hardcore can be pleasant to listen to.
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