Relationship of Command was the last album by At the Drive-In before they split up, the singer and a guitarist leaving to form The Mars Volta, the bassist, drummer, and other guitarist creating Sparta. You can definitely see elements of both bands in Drive-In, although they're closer to Sparta in general sound. Drive-In is like a combination of both bands that has the best parts of neither. They don't have the more accessible catchiness of Sparta or eccentric creativity of Volta. It doesn't mean they're worse than either though, just different. They have a similar punk rock vibe, with more chaos and creativity in place of choruses and standard progression. The singer is definitely better than Sparta's, although he's more prone to just shouting. They're a loud, aggressive band, with a penchant for lyrics that don't make a lot of sense. It can sound a little too much like the average modern punk band, but they have enough flourishes and good ideas to elevate them.
"Arcarsenal" gets things going with a flurry of drums and diddling guitar that explode into the song proper. "Pattern Against User" is a solid rock song with a pleasant interlude stuffed in the middle. "One Armed Scissor" is probably the most radio-friendly long song the album, which could explain why it was on the radio. "Invalid Litter Dept." is the longest track, and is pretty good, with spoken verses over nice guitars and a catchy chorus. "Enfilade" starts with a creepy phone call and is one of the more out-there songs, with warbled vocals and a unique sounding refrain. "Quarantined" is another good track with a stately pace and many enjoyable elements. "Non-Zero Possibility" is the mellowest song and does some nice things, and is followed by two bonus tracks that keep bringing the off-kilter, loud sound they've been making the whole way through. I'm not as into this kind of thing as I used to be, but it's still a very enjoyable album thanks to its less common elements.
AAAAAGGGHHHH
14 years ago
4 comments:
man, i don't know if you're really listening here. probably not. this is a swan song record from a seminal band. so many of the 'average modern punk bands' you reference comepletely ripped them off. including one of mine.
Jim Ward (Sparta's singer) does sing on this album, just a minority portion.
the lyrics aren't nonsense. the dude writes very cryptic lyrics, moreso in The Mars Volta. ATDI's lyrics are abstract, but easier to understand. this record is generally about paranoia. the theme is present in vaying forms. (drug use, government conspiracy, etc.)
I liked the album a lot, it just doesn't sound much different from some others. I don't read into lyrics that much because I don't care, so unless they make sense just from reading them I don't see much meaning.
oh man, that's a bummer about the lyrics. tell me you don't feel that way about Radiohead's lyrics...
granted Thom Yorke is a much better writer, but a lot of his stuff is pretty vague, leaving a lot to the imagination.
Radiohead definitely makes more sense. He's cryptic but still understandable, and it adds to some of the songs.
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