Grapthar's Song of the Day: Minor Threat 'Stumped'

grapthar (74)in #music • 6 years ago

Minor Threat - Stumped

Minor Threat is one of the major

bands from the American Hardcore Punk scene of the early '80s. They were influenced by the British movement that had begun a few years prior, but opted for faster songs and more intense vocals, which would eventually come to define the hardcore genre. The group consisted of Ian Mackaye (vocals), Jeff Nelson (drums), Brian Baker (bass), Lyle Preslar (guitar) and Steve Hansgen who joined in 1982, 3 years before the group broke up. Despite their short lifespan, the band influenced essentially every DIY/Punk band that followed in the next 2 or 3 decades.

Listen to Stumped by Minor Threat here.

This song is very different

from their more hardcore tunes, and was included on the Salad Days EP, with 2 other tracks. This song definitely reminds me of Fugazi in a lot of ways, and shows that the group was beginning to experiment with new sounds and ideas before they broke up shortly after this release. The vocals are really simple, and are actually surprisingly quiet considering how intense Mackaye could get on other songs, and are more like another instrument instead of being the centerpiece of the song.