Review Summary: One of the Most Important Albums of the New Century
While the band may have broken up shortly after this release, it still stands the test of time as At The Drive In's most successful and, quite possibly, most realized release. We all had heard young kids grinding their voice over distortion by the year 2000; it would take a phenomenal talent to not only reinvent this tired out wheel, but to bring about a respectability and new way to look at music that hadn't been seen perhaps since the early 90s. At The Drive In, however, does both; they combine the best of thier influences- the theatrics of the emo/hardcore bands, the textured artistry of Rage Against The Machine, and the stream-of-consciousness introspection of Dylan- to not only recreate the wheel, but an upgrade to the engine, as well.
The album opens with "Arcarsnal", a rip-roaring sonic opener that serves as a flood-gate for the rest of the album. In it's short three-minute duration, we're treated to more vocal gymnastics, intense drumming, strong foundations and anarchic energy then you can shake a stick at. Right from the get-go ATDI's sheer passion is made very clear.
Hot on it's heel's follows "Pattern Against User", a hypnotizing mesh of upbeat mantra and a one-two punch of a breakdown that shows off the true range of lead singer Cedric Bixler's unparalleled vocals, proving he can emote melodically as he can with his cawing. Next up is "One Armed Scissor", the notorious single that single-handedly sent this album straight into the ears of countless music-lovers (ATDI even had U2's Bono as a fan at one point, if you can believe that) and up countless charts. It's epic, it's complex, it's got an amazing vocal breakdown, but most importantly, it contains an energy and saliva-dripping power that hasn't been so universally felt since Cobain roamed the earth.
There's a short, soft piano interlude at the end of this, complete with clocks ticking and glass breaking, that is quickly interrupted by the explosion of "Sleepwalk Capsules", another nightmare-ish rocker of eccentric rambling that breaks down into a eerie walk through reverberating guitars and a repeated pusedo-religious barking.
"Sleepwalk Capsules" completes the straight through rockers at the front of the album, and in it's wake is "Invalid Litter Dept.", a masterstroke of layered guitars, podium ranting that Bob Dylan would be proud of, and a sturdy, strong chorus to wrap it up into one strong, epic package. The piano bridge near the end of the song only helps to accent the beauty of this song. Bouncing up next is the decidingly Rage Against The Machineness of "Mannequin Republic", a dark, decadent mesh of thick bass and heavy distortion with paranoid, precise drumming that adds an amazing sense of urgency to the track's feedback heavy punch. It's a close contender with the nosiest track on the album, but with the sheer thrill that's already been set by this album, it's perfectly welcomed.
Opening with a phone call between a voice-box and a weary mother, "Enfilade" is one of the most memorable tracks, taking textured rock to a whole new level as accordions, latin clapping, bongos, and hurried synth drums line the track's wet, rainy atmosphere. That atmosphere is owed largely to the lead singer's voice being ran through either a voice modulator or a guitar pedal, or whatever little trick they had up their sleeve. Right up next is quite possibly the silliest, and yet most amazing and invigorating rock song on the album, "Rolodex Proaganda". With contributing vocals from, of all people, Iggy Pop, "Rolodex Proaganda" rocks out only like ATDI could- they squeak and sing in operatic voices and scream at intervals as random as their lyrics, yet some how manage to not only make it work, but make it one of their finest moments.
With rain drizzling at the beginning of the track, along with a thick, competent bass and bright guitars that could easily be mistaken for the soft thunder in the background, "Quarantined" might be a bit slower then some of the tracks, but more then makes up for it with it's beautiful arrangements and confident vocals that attribute as much spirituality as it does ambiguity. The bridge of this song is one of the band's creative peaks, and yet another high point on this album.
Reuniting us with the fast paced rambling and erratic guitar crunch that opened Relationship of Command, "Cosmonauts" is one last blast of typical ATDI rock to peak interest and show off that `s patent ramblescream could make anything sound urgent and alarming.Closing out the album is "Non-Zero Possibility", a supernatural, haunting, mournful melody driven by piano and Bixler`s gothic chorus. Perhaps the slowest track on the album, it's also the most complex and by far the most beautiful, closing out Relationship of Command, oddly enough, just as it began- with an untouchable, unidentifiable energy and prowess of human emotion and atmosphere that may not make much sense, but still manages to move and fascinate in ways never felt before.
While perhaps this was also the album that made the band implode shortly thereafter it's out-of-nowhere success, one could almost draw a line from the electric amount of atmosphere and experimentation to perhaps possible bickering as to what direction ATDI should head in. This is entirely possible, since the members split into two very different bands- drummer, bassist, and guitarist went to Sparta, which recounts ATDI's more classic true-to-form emo-head-bang side, while lead singer and guitarist bounded off to Mars Volta, which is certainly more experimental and texturized then either ATDI or Sparta. No matter what directions or side projects they take (and how ever much success they achieve with them) ATDI's "Relationship of Command" will stand as the album that launched them into the world's faces and as one of the strongest albums of a new generation of music and mayhem. Whether or not it will be these members's opus or if Sparta/Mars Volta/What-Have-You will simply look back on this album as the "what started it all" album to a historic career, time can only tell. For the mean time, though, it's the fondest memory of one of the century's newest revolutionaries.
