Thursday 31 March 2016

Fugazi


In typical Floorboard tradition, I had to pick a special band for its 400th post. After a lot of deliberation, I had to finally settle on the best band of all, Fugazi. To put it simply, they're this pretty influential punk/post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were around from 1987 to their 2003 hiatus and featured members of Minor Threat and Rites Of Spring. However, there is much, much more to be said about them, and I will not even be able to scrape the surface of what makes them the phenomenal band they are. Regardless of that, thank you for letting this blog kick around long enough to make it all the way to 400, and if we're lucky, it just might last another 400, haha.


Since the start of this blog, I've had serious reservations about posting Fugazi. The sole reason behind that is the sheer amount of things that could be said about this band. It could stretch anywhere from a master's thesis to a three-volume encyclopedia as to why Fugazi are, undoubtedly, the greatest band to ever exist. Consider influence, originality, experimentation, energy, politics, catchiness, lyrics, live shows, or any other myriad of categories that constitute defining a "great" band, and Fugazi go above and beyond mastering them in the same way that bands like The Beatles or The Velvet Underground are commonly heralded for doing, and rightfully so.


Fugazi are an experience to indulge in, and thankfully they are one of the best documented bands of all time. Of course there are the actual albums, which could constitute an entire volume of that encyclopedia explaining why the songs and the recordings are absolute genius, and that could be broken down track by track, album to album. However, I think it's best to keep it short and let others find out why this is for themselves. Besides a perfect discography, they have a ton of visually recorded material. Their documentary, Instrument, is a perfect starting point for anyone getting into them. There's some of their absolute best live sets in there (see: "Glue Man" and "Shut The Door"), as well as some interview footage, in-studio clips, and random scenes from their daily lives. It's a great insight into the band, all packaged into this one very artfully done documentary.


There's also the Fugazi Live Series, which involves the band making full live sets available through Dischord, so almost any one of their shows is either or will be available to hear in full at some point in time. Even on YouTube, there's a ton of full live shows from them that I'd encourage checking out, so you can see what made their shows such a mind-blowing experience. The on-stage improvisation is seamless due to the rigid practice schedule they had, and it is an absolute awe to watch a band that tight cut through a set as diverse as theirs. As far as other information about them goes, there's a plethora of it out there; whether it be through other documentaries, interviews, or readings both online and in certain books, there's plenty that's available and incredibly interesting.


There is so much I want to rant and rave about when it comes to Fugazi, whether it be their music or their modus operandi. Even what I have written down now seems insufficient, and it's taking a lot to not just start again and try it perfect it, haha. But never mind that, the thing that caught my attention about them wasn't some blog's description. It was their music, plain and simple. They're a rare breed of band, since everything is their discography is worth giving a listen to, since they constantly expand on what they've done to progress with what they're doing next. I'll quit praising at their heels for now, so here's everything I've got by them, and thanks for sticking around to 400. Enjoy.

1. Waiting Room
2. Bulldog Front
3. Bad Mouth
4. Burning
5. Give Me The Cure
6. Suggestion
7. Glue Man

1. Waiting Room
2. Break-In
3. Merchandise
4. Glue Man

1. Margin Walker
2. And The Same
3. Burning Too
4. Provisional
5. Lockdown
6. Promises

1. Waiting Room
2. Bulldog Front
3. Bad Mouth
4. Burning
5. Give Me The Cure
6. Suggestion
7. Glue Man
8. Margin Walker
9. And The Same
10. Burning Too
11. Provisional
12. Lockdown
13. Promises

1. Song #1
2. Joe #1
3. Break-In

1. Turnover
2. Repeater
3. Brendan #1
4. Merchandise
5. Blueprint
6. Sieve-Fisted Find
7. Greed
8. Two Beats Off
9. Styrofoam
10. Reprovisional
11. Shut The Door
12. Song #1
13. Joe #1
14. Break-In

1. Styrofoam
2. Turnover
3. And The Same
4. Runaway
5. Merchandise
6. Sieve-Fisted Find/Reclamation
7. Break In
8. Song #1
9. Margin Walker/Bad Mouth/Waiting Room
10. Long Divison/Blueprint
11. Shut The Door
12. Promises/Two Beats Off/Repeater
13. Reprovisional

Note: This was a popular live bootleg

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

1. Returning The Screw
2. Smallpox Champion
3. Walken's Syndrome
4. 23 Beats Off
5. Public Witness Program
6. Great Cop
7. Cassevetes

1. Facet Squared
2. Public Witness Program
3. Returning The Screw
4. Smallpox Champion
5. Rend It
6. 23 Beats Off
7. Sweet And Low
8. Cassavetes
9. Great Cop
10. Walken's Syndrome
11. Instrument
12. Last Chance For A Slow Dance

1. Do You Like Me
2. Bed For The Scraping
3. Latest Disgrace
4. Birthday Pony
5. Forensic Scene
6. Combination Lock
7. Fell, Destroyed
8. By You
9. Version
10. Target
11. Back To Base
12. Downed City
13. Long Distance Runner 

1. Break
2. Place Position
3. Recap Modotti
4. No Surprise
5. Five Corporations
6. Caustic Acrostic
7. Closed Captioned
8. Floating Boy
9. Foreman's Dog
10. Arpeggiator
11. Guilford Fall
12. Pink Frosty
13. FD

1. Pink Frosty Demo
2. Lusty Scripps
3. Arpeggiator Demo
4. Afterthought
5. Trio's
6. Turkish Disco
7. Me & Thumbelina
8. Floating Boy Demo
9. Link Track
10. Little Debbie
11. H.B.
12. I'm So Tired
13. Rend It Demo
14. Closed Captioned Demo
15. Guildford Fall Demo
16. Swingset
17. Shaken All Over
18. Slo Crostic

1. Furniture
2. Number 5
3. Hello Morning 

1. Untitled
2. Cashout
3. Full Discloure
4. Epic Problem
5. Life And Limb
6. The Kill
7. Strangelight
8. Oh
9. Ex-Spectator
10. Nightshop
11. Argument

19. The Word
20. Burning (Live)

1. Waiting Room
2. Merchandise
3. Furniture
4. Song #1
5. The Word
6. Bad Mouth
7. Break-In
8. Turn Off Your Guns
9. And The Same
10. In Defense Of Humans
11. Joe #1

16 comments:

  1. I just sent you an e-mail with lots of stuff in it! If you haven't gotten it then maybe it's in the spam folder.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank YOU. this blog is among my top visited pages and i always enjoy reading the previews you write. seriously, this blog has changed my life for the better. so thanks again

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  3. Really a great post for a great band.

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  4. FXCK YEA!
    One of the most influential bands ever

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  5. you should start doing more influential/early artists of modern genres like My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana etc. (or recommend a blog that posts more stuff like that)

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  6. Phenomenal band!Thanks also for linking to my blog!

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  7. Why does margin walker have a password on it?

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  8. thank you thank you....

    we speak your name...

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  9. Sophie's floorboard is the best blog ever I fucking love this site and the creators for taking the time to share all of this music. Truly amazing people thank you <3

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  10. Thank you very much. I love this same heart band, I always follow the blog, and without shadows of doubts I'm very inspired by you. Add if you can my blog: https://gimmiegimmiegimmiehc.blogspot.com/ to your list of blogs.

    Thanks!

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  11. hey kevin, the archives don't have metadata lmao (at least Repeater, Steady Diet and I'm On the Kill)

    ReplyDelete