The label in the independent record store said "F**k The Strokes, this is the real deal", but, while Fugazi may have the hip underground credentials, do they still have the musical power nearly a decade and a half into their career?
The answer 'The Argument' provides is an emphatic yes. Even more importantly, it's also their most musically diverse outing to date, from the ominous cellos that usher in the opening untitled instrumental to the use of two drummers and female backing vocals on a handful of tracks.
The musical goalposts may have altered but the lyrical targets remain the same, from the removal of the "people on the corner" ('Cashout') to the anti-militaristic sentiments of 'The Kill' and the (all too apt) commerce-going-down-the-pan imagery of 'Oh'. And while 'Full Disclosure' may feature guitarist Guy Picciotto's traditionally deranged vocals, there's a moment towards the end that is almost pop. Weird, and yet strangely liberating.
And while 'Epic Problem' and 'Ex-Spectator' rock with the band's trademark angular tautness, this is generally a subdued affair, with both music and lyrics given more space to breathe, as on the likes of the sombre 'Strangelight', the acoustic, at-times 70s-sounding 'Nightshop' and the part-dreamy, part-wired 'Argument'.
This is very much a band effort, with guitarist and alternative icon Ian MacKaye handling lead vocals on only four tracks and providing a riposte to those who thought he could only do corrosive screaming with his measured delivery on 'Cashout' and 'Argument'. Elsewhere, the interplay between the rhythm section of bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty is as flawless as ever, weaving pulsing, jarring tones around the guitars.
'The Argument' is the sound of a band stretching out and thereby consolidating their position as a unique entity. In a musical world dominated by pre-fabrication, obsolescence and the demands of major label paymasters, Fugazi effortlessly remain the standard-bearers for those who dare to play by their own rules.
by Simon P Ward