Steady Diet Of Nothing

About

Released in the summer of 1991, just a few months before Nirvana brought the underground into the Top 40, Fugazi’s <i>Steady Diet of Nothing</i> stands today as a fan favorite—as well as somewhat of a missed opportunity. Produced by the four band members themselve, <i>Steady Diet of Nothing</i> is noticeably bone-dry, featuring a striking on-off binary between open silence and shattering noise. It’s one of the weirder-sounding albums of Fugazi’s career—these guys were clearly <i>not</i> gunning for the mainstream. But it’s also a brilliantly written record, featuring 11 ruthlessly efficient song, many of which would go on to become live staple. “Reclamation” is the standout here, a punk pro-choice anthem that becomes more relevant every year (Ian MacKaye closes the song with an urgent scream—“CARRY MY BODY”—that, to this day, cuts like a knife wound). “Runaway Return” articulates the inner turmoil of the upper-middle-class punk, while “Latin Roots” unpacks an awkward romantic moment. <i>Steady Diet of Nothing</i> is also the album that finds MacKaye coming into his full power as one of his generation’s best sloganeers: The remarkable complexity of lines like “America is just a word but I use it” or “Things have settled down/But silence is a dangerous sound” made them fan favorite. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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