Fugazi: End Hits

Though Fugazi is considered synonymous with punk attitude, to call Fugazi a punk band is to grossly underestimate its place in the music world. The group is a force unto itself, sounding like no one else: Linear guitars weave in and out of abrasive walls of distortion, while one of the finest and most organic rhythm sections working today—drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally—anchors each song without weighing it down. Singers Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto (and sometimes Lally) have perfected their trademark bark-and-response vocals, becoming one of most immediately recognizable vocal teams around. Confusing matters a bit, End Hits is Fugazi's loosest and most diverse collection of songs to date, sometimes sounding like a less aimless Sonic Youth and frequently hinting at relatively conventional song structures. The album is also Fugazi's least commercial release, though that word is the antithesis of the band's raison d'étre anyway. Slower, dubby numbers seem to outweigh the "rock" songs, and the music continues in the experimental vein of the album's predecessor, Red Medicine. For this reason, End Hits may come as a disappointment to some fans; the disjointed, fragmented nature of many of the songs makes you miss the taut, tense, apocalyptic stuff for which Fugazi is known. Only a few songs—"Break," "Place Position," and "Caustic Agnostic"—really cut loose the way fans have come to expect; the rest of the tracks find the group knee-deep in a transition. Tellingly, Fugazi's past few releases have taken a few months to soak in, which indicates that there's far more going on here than you'll find on the surface. End Hits could be just another manifestation of Fugazi's independence and righteous economy, as the band continues to revel in its creative liberation. Or maybe it's an intentional transformation designed to dispel the group's mythic reputation. Either way, chances are good that all will be clear in hindsight. For the time being, though, End Hits is a curious look at America's most vital band as it finds new and inventive ways to buckle and squirm under its self-imposed constraints.