2001’s The Argument was the final Fugazi album before the band took an extended and possibly permanent hiatus. It’s easy to see why the venerated D.C. group would be comfortable closing its career here; The Argument brings its four players full circle. Guy Picciotto’s “Full Disclosure” and Ian MacKaye’s “Epic Problem” give the album two songs—one from each frontman—that reconnect to the bracing physicality that defined Fugazi in its earliest years. At the same time, the album marks the final step of the group’s long trek to extricate itself from its early punk roots. With deep dub inflections and whispering piano, “The Kill” and “Strangelight” might make listeners think that film composing should be the band’s next chapter. As has always been the case with Fugazi, the songs that blend extremes stand out from the pack. “Cashout,” “Life and Limb,” and “The Argument” join the ranks of the group’s classic songs.
Label: Dischord Records
