Customer Reviews

Relationship of Command

5 star:		(188)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Omar and Cedric must have figured out some black magic before they recorded this one with the boys. From the opening distorted and processed squalls materializing from Omar's guitar on "Arc Arsenal," every time a listener rides ATDI's wave on this one it is a mysteriously thrilling experience. One can only say this about a release or two every year. I mean, really, I got this when it came out six years ago (the hyperkinetic video to "One-Armed Scissor" prompted me [see it on _This Station Is Non-Operational_]) and I've never looked back. While I no longer play it three times a day like I did then (never been bored listening after literally hundreds of listenings), I think it's something more like once a month that I listen to it these days. And it's right back into the headbanging, the chills, singing/screaming along with lyrics that still don't make perfect sense to me ("intravenously polite/ it was the walkie-talkies that knocked the pins down/ as her shoes gripped the dirt floor/ in the silhouette of dying"--"Invalid Litter Dept."), but will nonetheless grow with me for the rest of my life, like Joyce's _Finnegans Wake_ or poems by Celan.

Really, this is as good as anything Mars Volta has done (MV is my favorite operating band followed closely by Radiohead and Wilco--hallowed company!). _Relationship of Command_ is really the leaping board to the heights unknown they have reached with MV. It is also the culmination of the considerable accomplishments of ATDI, while representing a quantum leap from their nonetheless excellent preceding LP, _In/Casino Out_. What makes it a diving board to MV is the fact that we hear more of the stratospheric guitar from Omar than we had heard on previous ATDI releases and the song-writing and lyrics are leaning more towards byzantine prog tendencies. What makes it still ATDI and the culmination of everything they did is that it is still just punk, except it is refined by Andy Wallace's huge production skills and the band's (especially Omar's and Cedric's) relentlessly visionary drive. To put it in a nutshell, this rocks you on every level: emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, and mostly your BODY: Cedric and Omar didn't thrash around on-stage like possessed dervishes for the show of it (it's that black magic)!

This is to say that _Relationship of Command_ is the best "punk" CD of this decade and I would be stunned (and delighted) to see anyone come to this level by the end of 2009. Really, as far as pure punk CDs go, I can really only think of Patti Smith, the Clash, and a few other stalwarts who created a product this uniformly mind-shattering. If ATDI had stayed together, they may have been able to top this, but, then again, CDs this brilliant only seem to emanate from the kinds of rough straits that the ATDI members were in at this time, and the impending break-up energy must have had everything to do with the manic surge that crackles from every second of the 45 minutes of this CD. Instead, ATDI broke up and Cedric and Omar chose to infuse their punk roots with prog and in turn came up with something different altogether (prunk?).

Everyone who has any sort of sincere love for extreme music of any sort has to own this one. And if you're not a lover of extreme music? ATDI may just expand your mind with their William Burroughs-style lyrical approach and unceasingly energetic performance/compositional approach. Put this one in a time capsule with a few other CDs to help define what both "punk" and "rock" meant in the first thirty odd years of its existence.

This very hardworking band finally hit the jackpot with this astonishing album. After six years of playing in dreary bars to audiences measured in the single digits, and a series of tragically ignored indie albums and EP's, At the Drive-In have delivered a masterpiece with this album. This hard-to-categorize band mixes hard-driving, no-nonsense hard rock with liberal doses of punk, some grunge and metal, and even a little goth in a few places, with masterful musical chops and mesmerizing vocal arrangements. Ignorant critics and listeners who can't describe anything without making comparisons have mistakenly equated this band to Rage Against the Machine, which is inaccurate at best and insulting at worst. Singer Cedric Bixler's voice naturally has a tone similar to Rage's Zack de la Rocha, but that is merely a coincidence and is a hideous reason for comparing the two bands, both vocally and musically. Bixler is an infinitely better singer than Zack (who can hardly even rap), and Bixler sings with true emotion and passion that is extremely rare for a rock frontman these days. Also, comparisons to standard nu-metal make me want to puke. The key to understanding this album is to stop trying to figure out what it slightly sounds like, and realize that Relationship of Command is in its own category.

The best aspects of this album are Bixler's incredible vocals, along with the gut-wrenching backing screams by guitarist Omar Rodriguez. Drummer Tony Hajjar and bassist Paul Himojos are relentless and to-the-point, while Rodriguez and Jim Ward deliver intricate and dramatic guitar interplay. Bixler's lyrics are dense with allegory and metaphor, and you may spend years trying to figure out what he's talking about in many of the songs. Never mind the cranks who criticize the lyrics for being too dense or wordy, and accept them as intelligent, challenging, and thought-provoking. The best tracks here include "Sleepwalk Capsules" which contains stupendous vocal arrangements (by Bixler, Rodriguez, and Ward); the dramatic "Quarantined;" and "Arcarsenal" and "Non Zero Possibility" which are overflowing with emotional power.

As a heavy collector who buys 40-50 new CD's each year, this is my favorite of 2001. I am very upset by reports of this band's breakup (or hiatus). Let's encourage them to get back together.

At The Drive-In has to be among the most unique and hard-to-pigeonhole bands of the 90's. They are too melodic and adventurous for hardcore (even though their level of intensity is close to bands like The Refused), and although they are frequently lumped in as part of the emo genre, there is nothing explicitly "emo" about ATDI--no whiny vocals, no middle school-level poetry about lost girlfriends, and no fake irritating screams that are supposed to evoke "emotion." Relationship Of Command, the band's third and final album, is filled with fast tempos, relentlessly pounding rhythms, dense collages of dissonant sound, killer choruses, and bizarre lyrics with some sort of underlying political meaning--this is 100% ATDI, and nothing else.

This is hands-down one of the most energetic and explosive albums I own. Afro-headed vocalist Cedric Bixler's high vocals are barked/screamed with a force that few can manage, Omar Rodriguez and Jim Ward's guitars lead the assault, and the talented rhythm section hammers it home. Although at first Relationship Of Command may sound like noise, there is a lot of depth beneath the seeming anarchy, and each listen reveals sounds (pianos, melodica, sythesizers, odd effects) that were not heard before. This album is a real grower.

If I haven't made it clear by now every track, from the killer opener Arcanarsenal to the spooky end of Non-Zero Possibility, absolutely rules. Faves include the near-hit One Armed Scissor, the ultra-catchy Enfilade, the brutal Cosmonaut, and Invalid Letter Dept. which contains perhaps the most haunting lyric in the whole thing ("They made sure all the obituaries showed pictures of smoke stacks..").

It's a crying shame that ATDI broke up after releasing this album, but on the other hand I think they would've had a helluva time trying to top this release. Don't fret, however. Cedric and Omar (the truly brilliant members of this band) went on to form the equally unique Mars Volta. Definitely check out Deloused In The Comatorium along with Relationship Of Command. In any case, everyone with a working set of eardrums owes it to themselves to get this record.

Before Cedric and Omar were pushing the boundaries of music nearly to the extremes in the Mars Volta, they were blowing minds in At the Drive-in. To categorize their music is nearly impossible. They've most commonly been labeled as "punk", but that's hardly even scratching the surface. Truth be told, this is a sound that was nearly unique unto itself. The closest comparsion one could perhaps make is Fugazi, but even that is misleading. Either way, you're probably not going to be prepared for this on the first listen.

Now, since the Mars Volta have gotten fairly popular these days, especially among fans of progressive rock, I suppose it'd be fair to make the comparison. While TMV fit somewhat into the prog category, with their huge epic compositions and technically audacious musicianship, I would not quite put ATDI into this same category, at least not quite as squarely. While the music here is highly sophisticated, experimental, and unpredictable, it doesn't really achieve what most would call a "prog" aesthetic. The songs generally aren't that long, and the musicianship is much more closely rooted to the song itself. However, it's not to say that this is necessarily more straight-forward. If you love the explosive oddness of TMV, then you'll most assuredly love this as well.

Describing the songs is basically useless. From one second to the next, this album takes you on a thrilling journey of pure alien madness. From the raw psychosis of "Arcarsenal" to the spacious atmospheres of "Invalid Litter Dept.", this is definitely an album of extremes. But, even in its softer and more tranquil moments, it never gets particularly "normal". Songs like "One Armed Scissor", "Pattern Against User", and "Rolodex Propaganda" are surprisingly catchy, but are still far from being tailor-made radio hits. The album ends appropriately enough with the powerful rocker "Catacombs", which finally culminates with a finale of electronic beeping. At the end, you get the same sensation of having your brain removed, rearranged, and shoved back into place as you do with the Mars Volta, but much more focused and compact.

The point is, you need this album. Anyone who enjoys original, bizarre, daring music simply can't be without this. And, if you like TMV, but perhaps think they're a bit too excessive musically, you'll really love this. But either way, this is essential.

I became aware of the work of At the Drive-In after I heard the album "Frances the Mute" by The Mars Volta, one of the bands that derived from At the Drive-In. Upon hearing "Relationship of Command" the first time, I thought I was in front of one-more-of-those-neo-punk-albums out there, but then I sat back and listened to it a few more times and realized too that this album came in late 2000, before the neo-punk movement started taking shape. It was then that the brilliance of this album started to strike me.

The work by At the Drive-In is not for everyone, nor is The Mars Volta. Just like bands of the caliber of King Crimson, these are musicians that are in it for the art, not the fame, and as a result, they pour their hearts into their music. At the Drive-In will pose striking changes in tempo and a few challenging moments that you will need to go through in order to fully immerse yourself in the musical proposition they have to offer. The best example there is of the type of work they put together is the song "Enfilade", where they even drop in a few beats of fresh congas, right in the midst of a powerful track that brings to mind Rage Against the Machine and the likes.

Once you listen to the album, you will be glad you did. My advice, quite simply is: get it.

I cant even describe the feeling I get while listening to this cd. you cant even put At The Drive-In into a specific genre. there are not even any filler tracks on this album, you can sit back and enjoy all of it.

1. arcarsenal-wow, talk about a great opening track, i love all of the guitar work in this song. even tho i dont understand the lyrics to much, i sitll love it, one of the best on the album. 9/10

2. pattern against user- another great track, i love the chorus on this on, and the intro. 7.5/10

3. on armed sissor-surpirsingly, even tho it was their first single, its not one of the better songs on here, still good nonethenless. 8/10

4. sleepwalk capsules- dang, one of my favorite on the whole album, just all around great, very catchy. 8/10

5. invalid litter dept.- my 2nd favorite track on the album, the chorus is probably one of the best ive ever heard in any song. 10/10

6. mannequin republic- my least favorite song on here, if there is such a word as fillers, this is one, just not very good at all. 5/10

7. enfilade- atdi redeems themselves with this great song. this is my 3rd fav. on here. i love the chorus and all the instrumentals in this song. 9.5/10

8. rolodex propaganda-this song has a very weird intro, which would turn off most listeners, but once you get past weird intro, the song is truely a work of art. 8.5/10

9. quarantined- this is it, best track on the cd. one of the best songs ever in my opinion. everything about this song is great. the chorus, the lyrics, the guitars. and i love the little bass solo intro with the thunder and lightning. 11/10

10. cosmonaut- another great song, with big shoes to fill right after quarantined, but holds its own. 8/10

11. non-zero possiblity- very weird song, kinda errie, im glad they made a song like this. its a great ending track.8/10

well everyone go out and get At The Drive-In's relationship of command, one of best cd's, and pick up their other two cd's as well.

It might be a little early to say, but this album could well be the future of hardcore, stamped and shrinkwrapped into 12 fascinating and electrifying songs. At The Drive-In hold a quivering hand up against the thought-free march towards dumb punk and the hollow clang of modern metal. Not for them the pointless bellowing of those looking desperately across their idyllic teenage lives for something to get annoyed about; instead this is a band with an instinct for dicovery. At The Drive-In take from the deeply articulate vocabulary of Nirvana and the alt-rock pioneers of the eighties and nineties, and fuse this with both tenderness and determination on to the Fugazi imprint. The difference is their fiercely idealistic ideas about how expansive and downright musical it all deserves to sound. 'Relationship Of Command' is a forward-looking record in a genre seemingly so stuck in the past.

'Arc Arsenal' sets out the agenda pretty concisely, beginning with the rumble of toms and keenly distorted guitar lines that trademark the album. It's when you hear Cedric Bixler's initial call of "I must have read a thousand faces!" you start to really pay attention. His lyrics read like crossword clues, mirroring the density of the music, but within them you get a sense of a rich furrow of artistic ideas. The chorus of 'Catacombs', for instance, goes "this gravity is just quadraplegic horse and carriage". It's an idea that bristles with content and weight, a feel that is echoed throughout the record.

What wins through in the end is the variety and the sheer inescapable presence of these sounds. Where 'One Armed Scissor' redefines the term 'call to arms', 'Invalid Litter Dept' weighs heavy with sadness and emotion. Cedric is a true hardcore vocalist, singing with real rage and exasperation, and the guitar lines trip in turns tentatively and ominously behind him. 'Sleepwalk Capsules' seems to sum up At The Drive-In at their best: distorted piano sounds decimated by looming guitar riffs and a clamourous "confess!" vocal, all of a sudden snapping into an almost new-wavey trill of guitar. Keeps you on your toes.

Future of hardcore? Wait and see.

I can't even come remotely close to putting how I feel about this cd into words. This cd is already in my top 3 favorites of all time. Maybe even my all-time favorite. I instantly fell in love with the cd, every song is so unique and fragile. The word "perfection" doesn't do this album justice. I have been listening to this cd for the past two months non-stop. All day, every day. I can't get enough of these guys. They are complete and utter geniuses and they probably don't even know it.

My picks off the album are Non-Zero Possibility, so emotionally incredible, Rolodex Propaganda, just an amazing song that I can't get enough of, Arcarsenal, fast and furious with a vulnerable side, One-Armed Scissor, the first single, can't go wrong with this song, Invalid Litter Dept., a song with a sad meaning also the next single/video, Enfilade, very fast and catchy, Quarantined, excellent song, Pattern Against User, good song to be moving around to.

Pick this album up, you can't go wrong with it! :)

im sorry, but for those of you who believe that atdi is rehashing someone else's act or being childish or whatever, there is something wrong with you, namely musical immaturity. i would agree that this might be the future of hardcore, but i find it hard to believe that anyone could follow their footsteps. trying to follow what they've done so far is a humbling experience in itself. and im not talking about whatever kind of fame they have gained in recent years, im talking musically. and if you dont understand, listen again, and really listen--to the words, the music, the everything. get some good headphones and hear everything that is going on there, and those doubting the production's worth should surely reconsider. and i could go on forever about these guys live. like in most cases, the people who hate these guys just dont understand yet, and maybe never will.

This is the 2004 Fearless Records re-issue which contains the bonus tracks "Extracurricular" and "Catacombs". Originally released in 2000 on the now defunct Grand Royal Records, this is the final album released by this amazing band. In my opinion this is a great album made even better with the addition of the previously mentioned bonus tracks. As sad as it is to see one of the most inovative punk bands of all time call it quits, at least they did it at their pinnacle. This album has all the power, energy, and emotion you've come to expect from ATDI, with the added bonus of better recording quality, making all the little quirks and layers more audible and the over all sound is richer than ever. Ever changing and always progressive, this album takes it all to the next level and beyond. A must have for anyone who is a fan of loud, kinetic, dynamic, powerful, and beautiful music. This is arguably their best album, but also their most commercially successful and their only major label release. I own (as in purchased the actual albums not downloaded replicas) over 500 CD's and records and my collection would be empty without ALL the At the Drive-In albums. Buy this Album.

**After their break up in 2001 members split to form the bands Sparta (ATDI:rhythm guitarist, basist, and drummer) and the Mars Volta (ATDI: vocalist and lead guitarist). These bands are worth a listen as well.