One of the five albums to bring to a deserted island.
Dylan Bailey | Costa Mesa, CA United States | 04/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The decision to name this album one of the five albums that I would take to a deserted island is entirely disputable. Not because End Hits is undeserving of 5 stars but because each Fugazi album is individually awesome, and to single out one was nearly impossible! I chose End Hits in particular because for me, this album is Fugazi's Sgt. Pepper. Now I'm not sizing Fugazi to the Beatles musically, but I believe that this album marked a musical transcendence for the band. Like Revolver or Sgt. Pepper, this album is a bridge, a fusion of old and new where the bands musicianship and song writing has budded and developed. Where the song arrangements matured and the structuring grew richer and thicker. I won't attempt to categorize each track or compare and contrast them to other music and bands to help you the reader better identify with this album. Doing that would defeat the identity of the band and minimize the significance of their music. I will say this though; Fugazi is a rock band in the truest sense of the saying. They put their souls into what they do and what they take back is the ability to personally connect with their music and the talent to structure and perform it sans ego. For those of you new to Fugazi or for those who have only heard the song "Waiting Room" I would not recommend this album to you. I would suggest starting from the beginning with 13 Songs and chronologically progressing forward until you find your favorite niche. Mine is right here with End Hits."
Intense, cerebral, subtle post-punk rock
Jay Thompson | seattle | 10/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love Fugazi. Red Medicine - the album where Fugazi started branching out and slowing down - initially was the most off-putting thing I'd ever heard, but now I love it. End Hits, its followup is now one of my favorite records.I admire the band's early classics like "Repeater," "Waiting Room," "Merchandise," "Nice New Outfit" or "Margin Walker," but this record tops those excellent punk numbers by moving on from deliberate abrasion."In On the Kill Taker" had the band tinkering out with complex rhythms and structures, but often they couldn't break free of feedback-and-screaming while doing so. This CD throws all that out the window - "Floating Boy" is pure dub, "Five Corporations" is the only punk song in 7:4 time I've ever heard, "Break" and "Recap Modotti" are downright funky.Of course, the lyrics are always superb (especially the anti-borders Jeremiad "Place Position") and Fugazi's performances have finally caught up completely with their songwriting. Buy this awesome album!"
A CD You Can Listen To Over And Over Again
M. Snelling | CA - USA | 12/24/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I guess this is a punk album, but it is one of those rare albums that doesn't deserve a category. It is simply excellent music. Some albums have a definite emotion they draw from the listener. This one is too complex to label with just one. There are parts of this album that make you stop whatever you are doing and just listen. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A PUNK FAN TO LOVE THIS ALBUM."
Total about-face
HUSKY BOY SUPERMODEL | 08/13/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Fugazi, along with NoMeansNo, are pretty much the only innovative "punk" bands left in the music world today. Whereas once punk was eclectic & vibrant, it has now become a cartoon, loaded with Bad Religion and Green Day sound-alikes. Amazingly, Fugazi have completely transformed their sound and still been able to remain interesting. Gone are the dub-style bass lines, the amped-up funk drumming and the choppy power riffs. This would be the death knell for most groups, but Fugazi get away with it. Instead, I now hear a band that injects artiness and experimentation into their rock-out jams, as well as exploring their more ambient, spacious sound. "Break" is a classic Fugazi album opener, displaying a tightness that only comes with years of playing together. "Foreman's Dog" starts off with some classic rock riff, but quickly delves into a mid-pace display of tricky guitar lines. It also features the best example of their contrasting dual vocal stylings. Guy Piccioto has a sinister, minor-key delivery and a lyrical obsession with body parts, while Ian MacKaye delivers anthemic choruses and themes in his sing-songy yelp. Their songs are deceptively simple. The band aren't the greatest musicians, but have the inventiveness to take their limited abilities and combine all these simple elements into unique compositions filled with time changes and unusual chord progressions. The instrumental "Arpeggiator" sounds like it should be the theme to the Charge of the Light Brigade, it has a familiar feeling to it, like you've heard it before in a classical music piece. "Recap Modotti" is a laid-back, moody number that could easily be used in a movie somewhere, featuring bassist Joe Lally on lead vox. The band is light years ahead of any of their contemporaries. Even their fans have to catch up to the band's constant, gradual style transitions. "Guilford Fall" utilizes feedback and droning one-note chords, but somehow remains catchy as hell. Granted, songs like "Floating Boy" & "Pink Frosty" go nowhere, but as long as Fugazi keep one-upping themselves, even the lacklustre tunes become bearable. I'm totally not into their personal politics, but they are to be admired for doing whatever they feel like, fans and foes be damned. It's as if they knew that they'd eventually lose a large chunk of their fan base whether they sold out or not, and decided to at least amuse themselves. They've gone from rhythm-driven crowd-pleasers to more guitar and vocal based aural soundscapes. The rhythm section is more subdued but still very involved, ocassionally breaking into their well-worn, but still fun, formula (see "Five Corporations"). "End Hits" & "Red Medicine" are worlds apart from their debut ep's & "Repeater", and the end results of this evolution have been staggering. It's almost like one great band has split into 2 amazing bands. Fugazi are an awesome group that have been criminally ignored, due to their refusal to affiliate with corporate-driven labels and radio/video stations. Instead of taking the money and running, they've stuck to their guns and become an important piece of musical history. Give them a chance. It'll take a few listens, but when they grow on you, they are a pleasant surprise in the copycat music world."
"Oh Waaaah! Not hardcore enough for me."
James Burns | Bellingham, WA | 12/20/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"People give Fugazi heat for musically straying from punk convention. You know what? Those people are probably the same morons who, like the hesher interviewed in the film "Instrument," like to recall Ian's glory days in Black Flag, whilst pronouncing his name wrong. Fugazi fly their middle-finger flag, not only to the music industry, but also to the idiots who think anything that strays from the four chords at 200 beats-per-minute hardcore "isn't punk rock, dude." (note: these are the same people who have never even heard of the Minutemen or Big Black or Suicide). This album shows Fugazi at their best: when they're not afraid to stray from the hardcore they helped pioneer. In fact, "Five Corporations" and "Place Position" are the only heavy Fugazi-style rockers here. Yeah, it's no "Repeater," but thank god that someone's figured out how to establish musical tension without their veins sticking out of their necks, and is able to do so without being horribly repetitive or boring. To my fellow post-punk enthusiasts: enjoy! To all the "punk rock" morons: there are plenty of hardcore bands that haven't changed their sound since 1983. Go take off your shirts and violently mangle your sweaty friends in the pit, and let my friends and I enjoy "End Hits" in peace."