Monday, August 07, 2017

Washington monument

Rarely a fortnight goes by without me reaching for Fugazi's In On The Kill Taker. While I'd certainly consider myself a fan - significantly more so than when I saw them live, in 1999 and again in 2002 - I'd argue that there's not another album in their back catalogue that comes close to touching it. The LP strikes the perfect balance between the punk/hardcore aggression and incandescent fury of their members' roots in Minor Threat and Rites Of Spring and the more arty, esoteric directions of later albums like End Hits and The Argument.

Earlier this year, Pitchfork's Jason Diamond wrote a great retrospective review of the record, which underlines its best qualities but also establishes the context for its release (against the backdrop of grunge and the major-label alternative rock feeding frenzy), arguing - quite rightly, in my view - that it was the most critical and pivotal album of their career, and a resounding success.

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