Dischord: un geniale gioco di parole degno del genio di Ian MacKaye. L'etichetta portavoce dell'hardcore targato Washington D.C., e quindi di un frammento fondamentale della storia e dell'evoluzione dell'hardcore tutto. Un focolare per una lunga notte invernale, che ha saputo riempire la mia testa, le mie orecchie e il mio spirito, talvolta scuotendolo nel profondo... "Complete Discography" dei Minor Threat, l'eponimo dei Rites of Spring, quello degli Embrace, "13 Songs" dei Fugazi, le prime 4 canzoni de "Dischord No. 101" dei Bluetip i primi gioielli che mi vengono in mente... e ora coraggio, chiudete gli occhi e, mentre la vostra casa va a fuoco, unitevi a me in cinque minuti di religioso e commosso silenzio...

"Can I Say", debutto dei Dag Nasty, corrisponde al n. 26 della Dischord; un album che mi ha provato, una volta di più, che, come si suol dire: se non hai ricordi, lei può darteli. A quest'altezza storica- 1986- i Dag Nasty sono il gruppo del Brian Baker post-Minor Threat e del frontman Dave Smalley, proveniente dal leggendario gruppo hardcore bostoniano DYS. Ma dei DYS sono rimaste solo le urla, peraltro raffinate in qualità e ridotte in quantità; coniugate a uno dei primi esempi di infusione melodica su strutture hardcore. Ne esce un capolavoro del punk melodico, dove Dave, rappresentato dalla testa in fiamme della cover, esterna e sfoga rabbia, frustrazione, rimpianti (memorabile la chiusa de "Thin Line") ma anche consapevolezza ("Values Here"). L'importante è esprimersi, insomma, spremere fuori, e i Dag Nasty lo fanno alternando qualche sfuriata (in primis "Justification") a pezzi almeno in apparenza più calmi e ragionati: ascoltatevi, a tal proposito, "Circles"...che poi c'ha dei cori, ragazzi, ma dei cori... e a noi amanti dell'hardcore (punk...),i cori ci mandano semplicemente in brodo di giuggiole...

E la questione emo (che comunque non ci capisco un cazzo)? Personalmente me la cavo così: influenzati e influenzanti, ma non appartenenti. Almeno per quanto riguarda questo primo disco, dove comunque talvolta fa capolino quello che io chiamo sapore nostalgico, quello che solo l'hc sa darmi. Poi Dave se ne andrà, arriverà Peter Cortner e l'atmosfera cambierà, facendosi più soffusa e teporosa. E comunque, del successivo "Wig Out at Denko's" l'incipit di "Safe" e "Fall" sono da chiudere in una teca e tenere lì.

There's something wrong inside but I will never release my pride...

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   Values Here ()

what'd you say
when I said we'll be here through tomorrow
in my heart and in my head
fear of failure
fear of reprimand
two big problems
I've never had
I never doubted what I had inside... what I have inside
values here in my heart
and we'll be here through tomorrow
every day's a brand new start
fear of failure
fear of reprimand
two big problems I've never had
I never doubted what I had inside... what I have inside
fear of failure
fear of reprimand
two big problems I've never had
I never doubted what I had inside... what I have inside

02   One to Two ()

there are things I'd like to say
that I've said too many times before
things I should have done
instead of looking for a way to get out
you'll never know the sorrow I felt
or the hours I've laid awake
thinking about just what you said
how could you know how I felt?
I never took the time to figure it out
or see how the problems arose
I tried to blame the two of you
I can only blame myself
for the pain we felt
there are words I should have spoken
but I kept my f~cking mouth shut instead
words would've made the difference
but they always stayed unsaid
why won't you ever see?
why won't you even see?
it's not just me

03   Circles ()

I wouldn't speak my mind
I didn't want to make them mad
I looked up to them
for the courage I thought I didn't have
I never bothered to lift a finger to make my point
now I'm spelling it out
and nobody's listening
it's hard to take it to heart
it hurts to be apart
but I can't watch and not be heard
the days go by and things get worse
but they say they can only get better
I try to make a dent
but it blends in with all the damage
I try to look the other way
but there's a mirror behind me
I see images of what can be done
it seems like I'm the only one
I wouldn't speak my mind

04   Thin Line ()

there's a thin line
between love and hate
I'm standing in a no-man's land and I'm afraid
to try and reach
the other side
how could you give back what you took and tried to hide?
I should have never trusted you
left you by yourself
I watched for far too long
you made me think
you were in touch
and oh the pain I felt when I knew you'd moved on
I never realized
you were running in circles
I let you lead when I knew damn well you were blind
I trusted you

05   Justification ()

we have tried and failed
we have stumbled and fallen
we have tried a new taste and spit it back out
we have taken a left turn when we meant to turn right
we lost sight of our origins
but our past never lost sight of us
it's not emulation - cause that's not this hard
not imitation - cause that won't take you far
not digression - cause I'm falling straight up
it is progression - I'm not afraid to stand up
I don't know what is expected
but I expected it to be great
I said "I'm trying my hardest"
but he didn't like the tape
take a look at what you're doing
and tell me I'm too late
you say we're walking backwards
well, that dead horse sure can run
the truth
I know I can
I know I will
I know -I know what I have to do
and now you'll listen
and I hope it won't hurt
I've seen your poison
you've done your worst
I've seen your better
and I can't believe it's true
you've lost the truth that used to live inside of you

06   What Now? ()

07   I've Heard ()

I heard this
I heard that
what do I believe?
it's hard to give
it's hard to get
and once you've lost it it's always gone
I know I shouldn't accept
one person's word as truth
without at least
giving you the benefit of the doubt
I get so mixed up
by the things you say
and the way you act
too many times
this has happened before
I always thought the wrong thing
I never gave you a second chance
now it's happening all over again

08   Under Your Influence ()

it's hard to hold
when the world is spinning
learned nothing from the night before
or the weeks before that
under your influence - right goes wrong
under your influence - crossed my mind
under your influence - right goes wrong
under your influence - you crossed my mind for the last time
twelve ounces of courage
makes the world look better
you love the attention
you never had it before
no safety comes from your numbers
nothing said or gained
shirking responsibility
true freedom from what?
from what?

(spoken part - you know I walked by you on the street the other day..
...you were going one way...I was going the other..
..and we both walked right by and we don't say a word..
... we used to be this close ..we used to be like brothers..
..but now 'cause of one time one word one phrase one time one word one phrase .. it's all over)

09   Can I Say ()

what can I say ?
why should I try ?
I tried to love
what I knew I hated
I took a lie and I made a truth
I defended
what I should have denied
I never gave a second thought
I followed blindly part of the lot
I never gave
I never gave a second thought
I followed blindly part of the lot
how can I say I'm really free?
how can I say I'm really me ?
what can I say ?

10   Never Go Back ()

sometimes it gets so cloudy
it's hard to see
everything gets distorted
it's all a dream
all these smiling faces
have lost their shine
I guess I'm getting older
I just don't relate
never go back
I wish I could learn
to never go back
there's something wrong inside
but I will never release my pride
I wish I could learn to never go back
I'm looking at pictures
and I'm thinking of those times
those times have changed
and so have I
I stopped my dreaming
I know I can't go back
I started looking closer
and I know what it's become
I wish so bad it was the same
how could it ever be the same ?
never go back
never go back
I stopped my dreaming
I don't want to go back
I started looking closer
and I know what it's become

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