The only official album
Minor Threat
ever released was a mere eight songs -- but that was enough. Building on the promise and fire of the band's earlier singles,
Out of Step
instantly became iconic for
American hardcore
, not to mention for the D.C. scene, for years to come, as well as any number of bands who conflated personal and social politics. That any number of restrained turn-of-the-century
emo
acts could refer to songs on
as much as fiery
punk
's-not-dead revivalists is demonstration enough of the record's impact. By this point the band had moved beyond the straightforward explosions of sound that characterized the earliest numbers. Songs like
"Betray"
and
"Little Friend"
contain sudden, heart-stopping pauses, with full-bodied production that's as much
thrash metal
as it is trebly
squeal.
Lyle Preslar
Brian Baker
both have at the guitar this time through and do the instrument proud, creating memorable, snarling riffs that rip out of the speakers without apology.
Jeff Nelson
's drumming is equally powerful, but
Ian MacKaye
's outraged performance provides the real killer touch. Even if it requires the lyric sheet to catch what's being said in particular, there's less in the way of declarative statements of purpose and more expressions of looming worries, his conversational asides adding a touch of melancholy even at the most high-volume moments. Besides a re-recording of
"Out of Step"
from the
In My Eyes
EP, other high points include
"Look Back and Laugh,"
an uneasy but ever-more-tightly wound confrontation with the reality of growing apart being entangled with growing up, and the powerful
"Think Again."
There's a secret highlight, though --
"Cashing In,"
appearing unlisted at the end and showing that
MacKaye
and company had a definite sense of humor, pokes fun at their own glowering image even while rocking out with aplomb (and including, of all things, a concluding burst of strings). ~ Ned Raggett