Fugazis songs were filled with fierce, ear-catching guitarwork, but out-and-out solos? Not so much. Thats why its so fascinating to hear the post-hardcore heroes rhythm section, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty, playing in a new group, the Messthetics, thats practically built around the idea of giving the guitar room to soar.
Case in point: Better Wings, a recently released track from the instrumental trios upcoming second LP, Anthropocosmic Nest, out September 6th. After setting up a driving riff, guitarist Anthony Pirog a seasoned player equally steeped in jazz, surf, punk, and roots music shifts into whirring lines that complement Lally and Cantys fleet, muscular groove. Around the 1:30 mark, Pirog ramps up the intensity, letting fly with nimble melodic wizardy, and building from ecstatic trills to dazzling fretboard acrobatics that wouldnt sound out of place on a 1980s shred-guitar LP.
The moment feels completely apt in context, a testament to the Messthetics skillful integration of punk scrappiness with a brand of unabashed virtuosity that might have once seemed highly unusual for a band releasing albums via legendary D.C. indie Dischord. Pirogs tasteful flash only gets more audacious from there, before Canty and Lally drive the song home with an emphatic half-time outro.
Overall, Better Wings and the Messthetics approach as a whole serves as a reminder that hardcore has always had its exploratory, fusion-leaning wing: Think of Black Flags instrumental excursions, guitarist Greg Ginns offshoot trio Gone, or the influence of groups like Return to Forever on the early work of the Bad Brains. As Lally and Cantys old band who seamlessly blended dub and funk influences with their more aggressive side proved way back when, punk isnt always about what you strip away from rock; sometimes its about what you can find a way to include.
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