Welcome to the latest issue of Late Night Wallflower’s newest column, Record (Re)Collection. This feature is about sharing the stories that you love, connected to the records that got you through those times. First kisses, road trips, fist fights, best friends, all that jazz. Being as into music as we all are, there’s always a soundtrack going.

We have a contribution from Tessa, a writer for movie review site Spill.com and friend of the Late Night Wallflower. She shares some thoughts on Fugazi’s last full-length The Argument. Check it out, and remember, if you’ve got an opinion or story on your favorite record and the memories it represents to you, let us know!

Check it after the jump.

Artist: Fugazi
Album: The Argument (Dischord)

As a life-long Ian MacKaye fan, I found it strange that I was late to the Fugazi game. When I was trying to figure out which album to listen as my first impression of the band, my friend Zack V. told me to listen to The Argument. He said it was “hands down the best album they had.” Knowing him, the walking music encyclopedia, I knew that was the one.

And he was right.

I instantly felt at home when I heard the guitar squeal at the beginning of “Cashout.” It was unlike anything I’d heard before. At that time in my life, I was commuting an hour to and from college, which usually involved a lot of spacing out and bad radio morning shows until I pressed play on The Argument the first time. Months later, the album didn’t leave my car. The telegraph-delivered lyrics of “Epic Problem” especially caught my attention. It’s thoughts were conveyed using a medium that was nearly dead, especially to our generation, and totally blew me away.

Despite my love affair with this album, no song affected me more than “The Kill.” When I first bought the album, I did what anyone else does: I flipped through the liner notes. However, after flipping the first page, I saw something that shook my foundation. There in front of me was a picture of the memorial dedicated to the Kent State University shootings. That was my school. That was my history. Now, my favorite band had not only dedicated their album artwork to it, but had written a song about it.

Now, whenever I listen to The Argument, I literally feel at home despite being 400 miles away from it.

Tags: Record (Re)Collection, essay, guest column //