At the Drive-In
Experimental / Rock
It takes barely a minute into "Arc Arsenal," the first track of ATDI's Grand Royal debut, Relationship Of Command, for all but the most jaded and spiritually bereft listener to realize: Something authentic and vital is happening here. And it's not only that familiar revolutionary spirit that typifies generations of musical revolutionaries from Guthrie to Dylan to Scott-Heron to Rage to Fugazi... True, that fire burns bright throughout every second of Relationship..., but there's something different here. ATDI's furor is informed at nearly every turn by a unique innocence; where their spiritual forebears offered up reflections on backlogs of experience, ATDI are compiling, observing, still in the midst of the conflict. Resolution does not factor into these songs. The first incarnation of ATDI emerged from its El Paso TX breeding ground in the alternative nation heyday of 1994, and steadily amassed a loyal following through non-stop touring and early releases such as In/Casino/Out (1998) and Vaya (1999) on So. Cal. indie Fearless. In keeping with this musical progression, life would ultimately imitate art, and ATDI would leave El Paso. Check out Mars Volta, Sparta, Defacto.
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