The Argument (Fugazi, 2001)

I listened to this album sometime last year actually, and didn't think very much of it.  Some of the songs are pretty good, and a lot of the instrumentation is pretty subtle and effective.  But much of it seemed...unnecessarily dark?  I'm not someone who thinks that music should always make you feel good or anything (although when I was in college and didn't listen to music that often, I remember saying something along those lines), but I couldn't quite figure out what the point of this music was - it was moody without being very atmospheric.

Then this week, I decided to give Fugazi another shot, and listened to an earlier album, Red Medicine.  This album was fun, creative, and a blast to listen to.  It was still nerv-y and anxious, like the best post-punk, but it sounded like the band was having a lot more fun and wanted you to have fun too.  Then I read up about the group's background in hardcore D.C. punk, and got a better idea of where they were coming from.  With that knowledge, I decided to re-listen to The Argument, fully prepared to revise my opinion.  But I didn't - I don't hate this music, but it still doesn't do much for me.

So why did I choose to talk about this album, instead of the one I liked?  Well, good question, I guess.

It just bothers me when I fully respect the talent and craft of a bunch of musicians, but for whatever weird contextual reason can't quite get into their work.  The Argument isn't really that far from Joy Division's stuff, which I love.  For whatever reason, I can't listen to The Argument without wanting it to sound more like Red Medicine.  I hate that.