Dag Nasty – “Wig Out at Denko’s” LP
The second Dag Nasty came out in 1987, a year after their debut vinyl release Can I Say. Breaking free from the trappings of early 80s hardcore-punk… but not quite, it’s still a punk recording, with plenty of punch and speed, still blessed with Brian Baker’s super inventive, and memorable guitar riffing. Also featuring new vocalist Peter Cortner, with a delivery that is as much sung as shouted. The time is right to reassess Wig Out At Dekno’s. It’s very likely that you may be pleasantly suprised (remember, this is the same Dag Nasty line-up that gave us the wickedly good track “All Ages Show”).
Gray Matter – “Food For Thought” LP
One of the best bands of DC’s infamous Revolution Summer. The Take it Back EP of 1986 was their pinnacle achievement, but tucked away before that seminal Dischord release was a full-length album from the year before, released by an obscure DC label called R&B Records (it was later re-released by Dischord in 1990). Food For Tought is like the fresh-faced early 60’s pop recording to Take It Back’s late 60’s world-weary psychedelic implosion. A strong melodic streak runs through all their records, born perhaps as a reaction to the thuggish following of Iron Cross (two members of Gray Matter previously played in that band), but it’s especially apparent on this, their debut album: a clever grafting of hardcore speed with ear-pleasing pop harmonies, bashed-out with youthful exuberance. A break-up followed a year later, with members going on to play in Three and Ignition.
Nation of Ulysses – “13 Point Program To Destroy America” LP
Respect is due… to the spectra sonic sound. Exploding out of the Washington DC underground in the early 1990’s, a time and place when the post-hardcore aesthetic dominated, Ulysses were post post-everything. And pre-anything that followed. Year zero, back again, rock and roll rebellion reinvented with a brand new manifesto to fuck shit up. Pretentious bullshit and hollow posturing? with a bellend frontman? Yeah, to an extent… but also genuinely original, a lot of fun, and they sculpted-out some pretty fine songs that still sound vital and surprisingly exhilarating today in 2020
Jawbox – “Tongues” 7″
Two songs by Jawbox, released in 1992, at the same time as Novelty (appearing on the CD version). Tongues, one of their finest moments, pushes it’s melodic-intention with urgent, dissonant guitars, like Drive Like Jehu mellowing out (slightly) and blossoming into an indie pop delight, with brains and brawn intact.
Jawbox – “Novelty” LP
Midway between Superchunk and Fugazi, Jawbox carved-out their own particular take on the after-hardcore template. The brains and the muscle of American punk reinvented for a new era, with newfound guitar chords, drum patterns and vocal ranges. Jawbox’s second full-length, released in 1992, including the track “Static” which also featured on a split 7″ with Tar. Download also include the Tounges 7″.
Fugazi – “Red Medicine” LP
The fourth studio album, it was released in 1995. Red Medicine marked their move towards more experimental styles of music, including noise-punk, psychedelia and dub. Medicine does good, sure enough, but it can also be hard to swallow. Personally, this album felt like a means to an end – I prefered both the tighter, straight ahead rager that was In On The Kill Taker; and the less noisey end destination that they ultimately arrived at with End Hits and then The Argument. None the less, Red Medicine is still a pretty remarkable transition-period album, with Fugazi doing what Fugazi did best: dynamic rhythm-lead after-hardcore, full of catharsis and cerebral reflection.
Coriky – self-titled compact disc
Formed in 2015 in Washington D.C. Amy Farina (Warmers, The Evens) plays drums. Joe Lally (Fugazi) plays bass. Ian MacKaye (The Evens, Fugazi, Minor Threat etc) plays guitar. Warning! do not pass this off as a mere continuation of The Evens (not that that would be bad a thing) – the addition of Joe Lally’s distinct basslines steers this much more in the direction of a follow-up album to Fugazi’s The Argument. Added to that is the great, and perhaps overlooked, album by the Warmers from 1996. End result is probably one of the most important full-lengths of 2020. Great socio-political lyrics, incredibly pertinent; and each song is expertly crafted, as you would expect from such experienced hands. An album to explore, and to inspire.
“God, I love New York,” Walter said. “There is something so profoundly wrong with Washington.”
“Plenty of things wrong here, too,” Katz said, sidestepping a high-speed mom-and-stroller combo.
“But at least this is an actual place. Washington’s all abstraction. It’s about access to power and nothing else…..”
“I will remind you that Bad Brains and Ian MacKaye came out of D.C.”
– Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen
The Messthetics – “Anthropocosmic” LP
An instrumental trio featuring the rhythm section of Fugazi (Brendan Canty on drums and Joe Lally on bass) joined by Anthony Pirog on guitar. Their second album is another jam session infused with post-rock, jazz and prog, all expertly handled by three musicians who must qualify as being the best of their generation – how else can you get away with sounding so loose, and yet super-tight, all at the same time? All the while retaining the kick and energy that you would expect (you can hear a distinct element of Fugazi), aided by a super-nimble guitarist who slips fluidly from Sonic Youth melodic dissonance to looping and spiraling proginess a la Mars Volt/Frank Zappa. But like Ruts DC managed back in the day, this avoids the trappings of muso – just great musicians free to rock-out and fill your mind with lush, spacey sounds. Probably a bunch of stoners.
Rites Of Spring – “6 Song Demo” 10″
Formed from out of the ashes of Insurrection. This early demo from 1984 was unearthed and pressed onto vinyl by Dischord in 2012. These six tracks are familar to anyone who grew-up under the influence of 80’s DC punk as they all feature on Rites oF Spring’s classic self-titled album of ’85. However, they are also distinctly different – enough to make this essential for fans and students of DC hardcore. Less furious and emotionally intense as the versions recorded a year later, this demo offers not just a contrasting studio production, but Guy’s vocal style is weirdly altered – more along the lines of Marginal Man and Faith in his delivery.
Marginal Man – “Identity” LP
Founded in 1983 by three members of the recently defunct Artificial Peace. An early example of US hardcore pushing out into new, less aggressive, styles and sounds (the first DC hardcore bands to feature two guitars!). Identity was the first 12″ release by Marginal Man. They went on to do a couple more full-lengths before spitting in ’88.
