Customer Reviews

Red Medicine

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Fugazi were (are) by far the best band of the 90s. Don't just buy this album- BUY EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEIRS. I can guarantee that their albums will forever become among your favorites. I got hooked in 93, and I still love them.

But do yourself a favour- don't buy them on amazon or in a store. Buy them from the label, www.dischord.com, as their cds are postpaid and much cheaper.

Red Medicine occupies a special place in Fugazi's discography--the righteous indignation that fuelled rampaging early classics like Repeater was giving way to a more complex, technically advanced approach, but the polished machine that showed up on the band's swan song The Argument wasn't yet in full effect. Fortunately, this crossroads managed to merge the best of both worlds, resulting in what I consider to Fugazi's most consistently compelling effort. The band still had two talented frontmen in the howling Ian MacKaye and the sneering Guy Picciotto, the musicianship continued its progression in terms of virtuosity and intricacy, and most importantly the songs here are never less than unpredictable and involving. Many bands that hang their hats on anger and aggression suffer from their inability to write a song to save their lives, but Fugazi (along with the similarly dearly departed Refused) knew how to how make you wait for the big payoff, how to ramp up the intensity at just the right moment, how to manipulate noise rather than just bowl listeners over with it. Interestingly enough for a rock album, the guitar often isn't even the lead instrument--check out how many songs are driven by the intricate, mathy, at times even funky rhythms laid down by Brendan Canty and Joe Lally. Odd rhythms, time signatures, and song structures prevail throughout (not much verse/chorus here, and not much 4/4 timing either), and the band hadn't yet incorporated all the melodic elements that popped up on The Argument, making for a challenging and occasionally frustrating listen that offers up more looks than an NFL defense. There's aggressive post-hardcore that sounds like Repeater with a higher IQ (Bed for the Scraping, Back to Base); swirling noise rock (By You); eerie indie rock propelled by whip-smart guitar lines and angular rhythms (Do You Like Me, Target, Latest Disgrace); a freaky-sounding tune that interrupts some intensely rhythmic jamming with Ian's throaty screams (Birthday Pony); even an experimental horn-driven piece that dispenses with the guitars entirely (Version). Of course, its diversity and occasional difficulty are part of what make Red Medicine such a great album, as well as the epitome of Fugazi's approach to music: freed from the constraints of genre boundaries and commercial considerations, they were free to defy perceptions of what rock music could and couldn't be. As much all the brilliant material they produced, that may well end up being their enduring legacy.

For my money, the best of their albums. Everyone goes on about Repeater, and I'm sure it was revolutionary at the time, but this takes everything Repeater was noteworthy for and turns it up a notch. Its the perfect balance of the old and new Fugazi, with elements of their hardcore past being filtered through their newfound love for noise jams, dub and even occasional rock anthems...a kiss-off to the past before they jumped headlong into the more amorphic jam sessions of End Hits and The Argument. You never really know where each song is gonna go.
This is the perfect introduction to Fugazi, and you can go earlier or later from here because this really sits on the dividing line. (And don't worry if you buy it and hate it the first couple of times - whether they want to admit it or not, most people hate Fugazi on first listen, even the ones who eventually become their biggest fans. They are certainly an acquired taste.)

I have not heard all of Fugazi's albums but from the ones I've heard (Repeater, 13 Songs) this is my favorite. The songs on here are consistantly great and don't get boring. Target is easily my favorite Fugazi song and is a btrilliant song that should be heard by all. The others are all great too especially Long Distance Runner, Do You Like Me, and Version. This is an album you need to check out if you are a fan of rock and sick of the crap that's on the radio.

I once listened to my Fugazi collection all the way through, albums back to back. Of all of them, Red Medicine has always been a standout in my opinion. Infact, it constantly moves back and forth with the Argument as my favorite Fugazi album. But its kind of weird because Red Medicine lacks alot of the previous elements that made Fugazi up until this point(and is a huge left turn as far as musical sound incomparison to their previous visceral effort, In on The Kill Taker). It really doesn't have any of the hard, distorted edge that its previous albums have. It doesn't have the same anger volume that previous albums had; sometimes it actually even has a sense of humor. However, when you really get down it, its still a Fugazi album through and through, and probably their freshest and most interesting to date.

One thing that is still in place are the always amazing rhythm section of Joe Lally and Brendan Canty. Both always push the songs perfectly, add a simple but explosive dynamic and even add a little grove to the songs(combination lock). The trademark Ian mishmash vocals are in place and pretty much takes the role of motivator and politcal agenda as usual while Guy still does his trademark squeal with the same emotive feeling and lyrics. What really changes this time around is the way the band approaches songs. Rather then the tight but explosive songs of their early days, the songs on Red Medicine seem as though they were born out of jams and accidents. The feeling of structure that was on earlier work is replaced with a far more relaxed and sometimes humorus enviroment. Thanks to that approach, the songs themselves breathe better then their ealier work and while not lacking in great hooks or interesting dynamics, there is a major focus on texture and feeling that was not pressent in the early days. The result is refreshing while still feeling like a Fugazi album.

Its stylistic masterpiece that only Fugazi could pull off with this much panache. Its a great listen for any mood, but shows the band is more than just that angry band from D.C. and proves that they are a musical force and one of the best bands out there. Too bad it would be followed up by their weakest effort yet, End Hits. But would later flex some creative muscle with another career defining album, The Argument. Fugazi has been my inspiration for awhile now and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

I do not think this record is as experimental and as much of a shift as some have considered it (not here persay but in general). I think since the previous record (In on the Kill Takers) was the most thrashing of all the Fugazi records this one appears like they totally changed when in reality I do not think it is so. Red Medicine is certainly different, but so are all their records, yet none sound drastically different, in that they still retain distinctive Fugazi elements. Certain elements are explored further and touched upon more on each record. This is part of what makes Fugazi so good. They have stayed true to their sound and what they're doing while never becoming stagnant and boring. The people that disagree with this do so because they only like the most aggresive and abrasive elements without appreciating others that were always there but not as prominent. This record seems to do more exploration than their previous records and have pushed the boundaries a little more and in that regard has more variance but yet has still acquired a particular feel to it that is distinctive and that I enjoy immensely. I would say that of all the Fugazi records, this and Repeater are the most important ones, but they are all fantastic which is an amazing feat.

If you've never heard a fugazi album, this is a great one to start with.
Why some people rate it 1 star, then talk about how it is a 3 and a half star is beyond me. This album is great!
Tons of energy, each song is a real driver.
Fugazi's brilliance comes from the complexity of music that comes from indenpendant simplicity.
Don't get it? Check this one out and you will...

Didn't expect a whole lot, but I thrw it on at work one day and it hasn't come out. Made me a Fugazi fan!

The most remarkable aspect of Fugazi's signature sound is that it is one of constant evolution. When confronted with the dilemma that all bands experience when it comes to the progression of their sound, Fugazi stays in stride while constantly "undermining people's expectations." At this point, Fugazi was beginning to slow down a bit, but they proved to me once and for all that speed is not a measure of energy. This was an epiphany to me at the time, as I had been brainwashed by Hardcore into judging a band by its speed. You can't listen to a Fugazi album the first time and get it. It takes a few listens to comprehend the subtle melodies strung throughout the noise-pop and math rock. The album's opener is a good example of this, as the opening notes pound out of your speakers. As interesting as this is to open a record, they manage to improve on this riff every time they play it live.

"Bed For The Scraping" helps to tie this album to its predecessor. This marks one of the more hardcore tracks on this album. Frantic vocals over some tight guitar work.

"Latest Disgrace" starts off with a contrast of speed between the guitar and bass that soon merges into an aggressive assault that occasionally pulls back to let the melody ring clear. Definitely an overlooked track that is very impressive for its diversity.

"Birthday Pony" reveals the band's humorous side that is often overshadowed by their politics and ethics. In this song, they manage to show both their sides as they attack materialism and greed from the point of view of a child.

"Forensic Scene" is one of my favorite Fugazi tracks of all time, as it is amazingly catchy and simultaneously aggressive. The drums and bass play off each other nicely in the beginning of the song to create the sensation of a body being swung over a cliff (as it was pointed out in the Instrument video). The quiet tension of this song is breathtaking and adds to its eerie tone.

"Combination Lock" is one of their best instrumentals of all time. The surprisingly catchy drumming serves as a prelude to their immersion in math rock during their next release.

The next song, "Fell, Destroyed" is often unjustly overlooked and I have only one version of it live (out of about 20 bootlegs) and its cut off midway. They contrast the aggressive with the mellow in a way that they do more prominently in The Argument. The tension is everywhere apparent in this song's progression.

"By You" brings bassist Joe Lally to the mic. His voice is perfectly abrasive in this song (and even better live) and fits nicely with the music. The subtle and delicate notes of the intro are deceiving, as the song rapidly falls into a pit of distortion and noise. The song falls into a terribly beautiful screech that takes a few listens to appreciate.

"Version" proves to be an interesting instrumental, as Guy busts out some Clarinet for a distinctly eerie sound that sounds like someone tiptoeing around a haunted mansion, as strange as that sounds.
Fugazi feeds us some more hardcore in "Target," while warning us that we are all the targets of the music industry. The guitar riff in this song is great, as it manages to flow outside the song structure on its own plane.

"Back To Base" could have fit in perfectly with the hardcore of In on the Kill Taker with Ian's frantic vocal delivery. In true Fugazi fashion, they manage to hit you hard then back off to let it sink in before the next assault.

"Downed City" starts off much like the opening track but then rips into some hardcore frenzy. Probably one of the least memorable tracks on this record, and that's saying a lot.

"Long Distance Runner" serves as a great closer for a great album. It is both driving and subtle as the mathematics play out perfectly over the varied guitars. The message of this song is very anti-competitive. Your only fight is with gravity trying to bring you down, not with the other people that you're running with. My only grievance with this song is that some of its most potent lyrics are whispered so quietly that they are lost in the drums.

This album marked a bend in the road for Fugazi as they began to slow down but maintained their energy and aggression throughout their songs. My advice to any one considering this album is that, in order to understand the directions that Fugazi goes, it is ideal that you hear their albums in the order that they were made. Each is a logical step in the progression and each is amazing in its own right. Give it a few listens and be prepared to be blown away by these modern day Bachs.

After seeing the amazing Fugazi document Instrument about a year ago, I was duly impressed by their feirce non-corporate independence and harcore yet experiemental sound, not to mention to entire document fills you with existenstial feeling because it includes people who feel the same way you do in it as well as watching it (Smashing Pumpkins' recent document, Pavement's Slow Century and Sonic Youth's The Year Punk Broke give off similar feelings)...

Despite seeing this document about 2 or 3 times afterwards, I never got around to getting their albums. A couple months back, one of my friends burnt me 13 Songs and it was good, so I went out and bought Red Medicine a little while later (along with Dr. Octagon, Ween's first album GodWeenSatan, The Melvins' Hostile Ambient Takeover, and the William S. Burroughs/Disposable Heroes Of Hiphopricy collaboration...I try to keep a diverse listen, becuz music like life is myriad and full of different styles and ideas...on that note, all these are worth you checking out)...

I was glad I bought Red Medicine. I was delighted to hear that some of the songs from this album ("Birthday Pony", "Forensic Scene") were concert highlights from Instrument. THe album is very experimental and diversified in rocking in an abstract way, fusing elements of punk/hardcore (what they seem to be famous for), softer indie rock (the chorus to "Fell, Destroyed" almost sounds like REM),no-wave (the free-form noise seques before a few of the songs), funk (espescially on "Combination Lock"), and even a little abstract electronica (the almost terryfying electronic-sounding clarinet and reverbed drums on "Version", budging Fugazi into the industrial scene a bit)...

Despite the clashing of these differnet styles, the music never sounds pretentious or cluttered, but who cares if it would? The songs range from kicking gluteus maximus with wonderfully screeching guitar notes to softer almost introsepective moments to awesome experiments with both noise and form and everything else. It's a tight, tight record and it rocks like a Sebastion Bach wannabee...from what I've heard, their most ecelectic and consistent to date, or atleast the one where they tried out the most stuff. The half-scream half-talk half-sung vocal tradeoffs are the final touch, spurting out their brilliant over-your-head political lyrics across waves of energy and introspection. So, maybe I'm not the best person to talk about Fugazi...maybe you should see a hardcore fan...but if you are a serious fan of underground or just indie rock, then you can't pass this up. It's got all the good elements of a well-rounded record.