Keep Your Eyes Open / Silent Pictures

Two decades in, it's about time the post-punk scene got its own coffee-table books. Glen E. Friedman—who gained notice for photographing nascent punk, hip-hop, and skateboarding scenes—began documenting Fugazi in pictures shortly after the band launched, and Keep Your Eyes Open: Fugazi captures the D.C. stalwarts from the late '80s through their last American show in 2002. A good chunk of the beautifully printed hardcover is dedicated to live shots, which is unsurprising, considering Fugazi's live reputation: Friedman illustrates their interconnectedness onstage via kinetic shots that capture the spontaneity of one of rock's best live bands ever. It's like a still version of the band-approved documentary Instrument: Both get deep enough inside the cocoon to describe it with impossible detail. The windy introduction from former Nation Of Ulysses/Make-Up frontman Ian Svenonius is about twice as long as it needs to be, and it features a number of silly alter egos, but it also gets at the heart of Fugazi's singularity. The band decided on a set of principles at its birth and stuck by them to the end, ultimately benefiting themselves (spiritually and artistically, though not financially) and the many people who consider their music important.