Repeater & 3 Songs

While Fugazi would never again write a song as instantly catchy as “Waiting Room,” 1990’s Repeater Plus 3 Songs was more complex and innovative than its debut. (The “Plus 3 Songs” refers to the addition of a three-song EP to this version.) This was the first sign that the group had really figured out what to do with its ideas and influences. “Turnover” forms the perfect reintroduction, as guitars rain down in sheets while a braided bass line bubbles up from below, courtesy of Joe Lally. He's the secret hero of Repeater; regardless of how caustic Fugazi’s songs become, Lally is always there to ground them with effortlessly intricate low-end sounds. The band’s taste for an angular, enraged approach to funk construction won it comparisons to Gang of Four, a similarly furious anti-capitalist post-punk band from 10 years earlier. Despite Fugazi's furious critiques of American society and government, this Washington, D.C.–based group couldn't be mistaken for a band from another country. “Repeater,” “Blueprint," and “Styrofoam” are heaving dance ceremonies choreographed for sweaty discontented youths storming the U.S. underground.