A nasty rumor circulated through the music industry when Fugazi's End Hits album was released--the rumor was that it would be their last album and tour. So, needless to say, when this album was released, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Fugazi is rooted in Washington DC where vocalist Ian McKaye, formerly of Minor Threat, started his own record label Dischord. Ian truly is unique, not only for his music, but also in his drive to keep independent record labels and bands, truly independent. If you go to your local, not corporate, record store, you'll find that the Dischord releases are $3 to $5 cheaper than new releases on major labels. Therefore, everyone should own a copy of this album on principle alone.

This album is for anyone who is into emotionally dissonant rock. The guitars volley a wall of sound forward, while the bass keeps a swaying feeling to all the songs throughout. The first thing you will notice is that there are no vocals. This is definitely not common to Fugazi's style, as Ian usually displays heart-felt lyrical sonatas. But, the lack of vocals doesn't hurt the strength of this album. There are some spoken word poetry over a couple of the songs that keeps things from becoming monotonous. If you liked the sound of Fugazi's In On The Kill Taker or Repeater, you'll like this one as well.