Relationship of Command- At the Drive-In Shit I should have listened to

                           

When going through this large list of critically acclaimed albums I knew I would stumble across a few thorns. There would be albums here and there that I wouldn’t understand the hype. I just didn’t think it would be the second album in, or that it would be from At the Drive-In. After all I think Frances the Mute is one of the best prog albums of the 21^st century (and I’ll be reviewing De-Loused later on) and I’ve been in love with “One Armed Scissor” for a while now. So why can’t I get into Relationship of Command?

Relationship of Command seems to be an album that would absolutely kill live. Cedric Bixler-Zavala delivers pure insanity through his vocals and all the instruments are charged with a strange energy. But it all seems to veer randomly from one thought to the next. Second track “Pattern Against User” has at least four distinct sections but none of them really feel connected like these pieces were messily stitched together. It sounds cool in theory, a punk band shifting from reggae grooves to math-rock interludes but it feels deeply uneven when placed side by side.

The more straightforward punk anthems can also fall flat. “Sleepwalk Capsules” never quite reaches its full potential and “Mannequin Republic” ends up being more grating than menacing. There’s also the spoken word “Invalid Litter Dept” that owns fascinating lyrics but Zavala’s delivery is so strange it becomes unengaging. Thankfully Relationship of Command does have a few excellent tracks tucked in here and there. “Enfilade” has the album’s best chorus with a massive “FREIGHT TRAIN COMMIN’!” And the thrashing “Cosmonaut” hinted at what the El Paso boys would do in future releases. Of course “One Armed Scissor” looms large above the rest of the album. It’s still one of the finest and most striking punk songs released in recent memory, filled to the brim with mad energy, a near perfect riff, and Zavala’s best non-Volta performance.

Still when it all comes down to it I’m really disappointed with Relationship of Command. I realize I’m in a tiny minority here but the whole album (many consider it one of the best rock albums of the 2000s) has issues with cohesion with only a few songs really standing tall. Definitely taking White Pony over this.   

Rating: C-