Statehood: Lies And Rhetoric

Over time, some places become so associated with a sound that it's easy to believe it hangs there in the air. On the post-punk map of the world, no city looms larger than Washington D.C., which, over the past 20 years, has fostered an instantly recognizable style: aggressive, noisy guitars; minor-key melodies that slip into major-key crescendos; and a tightly wound rhythm section that likes its beats busy and basslines groovy. Or, more simply, Fugazi-esque. Featuring The Dismemberment Plan's terrific rhythm section, Statehood knows the style well. It's easy to hear its forebears, J. Robbins, Guy Picciotto, and Jason Farrell, on Lies And Rhetoric, but the album doesn't sound reductive. The classics, when done well, never go out of style.