Joe Lally: Nothing Is Underrated

joe lally What should i expect from a punk band's (Fugazi) bassist? Bass heavy? Well, a little but that's not all bad, i like bass! It did however take me a few tracks to warm into it, it's quite a minimalist CD and i thought the 1st track wasn't the strongest for an opener, but they're all relatively short tracks so it didn't matter too much. The drum and bass sound on this CD are very good, very real, and also very clear and concise but still contain complexity. There is also some excellent guitar feedback work that creates some rich soundscapes whilst retaining that minimalist feeling. A selection of other instruments including some synths and especially a very interesting distorted Fender Rhodes on track 7 help this to be not just a post-polished-punk record. Yeah, i suppose it still has the punk elements through the simplicity and force of the bass from Joe but also has heavy Jazz and Funk elements which are exaggerated through the quality of the recording. Lyrically, there is obviously lots of, mostly hidden, political messages which is relative to Joe and Fugazi's heritage, but in keeping with the record he's minimalist with them too, and they're not musically nonsensical in the way some political lyrics are. All in all, i quite like this. I'm not really a punk person, but from a recording and quality perspective i have a lot of time for it, and as it includes some great collaborations (Ian MacKay, Guy Picciotto - Fugazi; Ben Azzara - Capitol City Dusters, DCIC; Andy Gale - Haram; Eddie Janny - Rites of Spring; and many more) it has a lot of quality and experience behind it :: Joe Lally/Nothing Is Underrated - Dischord/Southern/Cargo.