Repeater – Fugazi
After the success of their debut EP — which featured a three-piece act revolving around the band’s founder, guitarist and singer Ian MacKaye’s songwriting — Fugazi transitioned into a full-fledged jam band.
After adding Guy Picciotto as their new vocalist and, eventually, rhythm guitarist, the band spent a couple of months writing together and recording Repeater. The record sold poorly upon initial release, but after 250-plus DIY shows and tours around the world, the album went on to sell nearly 300,000 copies.
Repeater is a definitive album for rock music, an angrier version of most punk bands of their day with a complexity few in their genre could match. Between dueling guitars, wailing bass, and hard-hitting drums, Fugazi goes all in on every song. The album discusses greed and violence, standing as a precursor to the grunge movement of the early 1990s.
Tracks to listen to: “Turnover,” “Repeater,” “Shut The Door”
Mclusky Do Dallas – mclusky
No one knows exactly how Welsh noise rock band mclusky formed, but the band’s founding members claim to have started the group when they were kicked out of the Blackwood Miners Institute, a venue in their hometown, for dressing up as miners. They then met bassist Jon Chapple when they caught him urinating on their tent during the Reading Festival.
Whatever the band’s origin, these stories (real or fake) play right into the band’s playfully dumb image. Mclusky’s other tales include the group originally being named “Best” after The Beatles’ original drummer Pete Best, their original bassist leaving to become an actor, and even their breakup in 2005 after tensions arose when their gear was stolen in Arizona.
Behind the production of Steve Albini, mclusky released several impressive albums, but Mclusky Do Dallas stands out amongst the sea because of its pure aggression — this album is an irreverent attack on rock music delivered with an unbridled fury and consistency few albums can provide. Although this album is certainly post-hardcore, noise rock is another dominating factor contributing to the chaos.
Tracks to listen to: “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues,” “Fuck this Band,” “To Hell With Good Intentions”
