There’s no point in arguing the matter: Relationship of Command is the best At the Drive-In record, and At the Drive-In was one of the absolute best of the punk/emo/hardcore scene of the late nineties/early oughts, if not the outright best.
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Record #216: Duke Ellington and his Orchestra – Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Record #215: Gang of Four – Entertainment! (1979)
Speaking of punk/funk hybrids, consider Gang of Four–contemporaries of the Clash and spiritual antecedents to Fugazi’s brand of political bass-heavy punk fury. Continue reading
Record #214: The Clash – Combat Rock (1985)
Watch carefully, because in the next sentence, I’m going to make all of my punk credibility disappear. This is the only Clash record I know. I know, right? I tried listening to Sandanista, but what do you even DO with Sandanista? I tried listening to London Calling, but (whispers) I found it really boring.
But, when I stole my dad’s Combat Rock cassette and popped it into my car stereo, my world was turned upside down.
Record #213: Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog (2007)
For many people, the words “Iron & Wine” and “full band” do not compute. After all, doesn’t Iron & Wine work because of the stripped minimalism of Sam Beam’s hushed acoustic folk? Less is more, right?
Record #212: Iron & Wine – Woman King EP (2005)
After two full lengths and an EP comprised largely of solo acoustic guitar and voice with the occasional harmony overdub, Sam Beam must have finally realized that he can get a little louder in the studio than he can in his attic.
Record #211: Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)
It’s almost unbelievable that in the early 2000s, in the wake of a huge rock revival that glorified DIY guitar rock (the White Stripes), sneering punk vocalists (the Vines, Hot Hot Heat), cooler-than-cool swagger (the Strokes, the Hives), attitude-is-everything post punk (Interpol, the Killers), and ironic hair metal (the Darkness, Jet), one unassuming man with an acoustic guitar could whisper-sing his way to notoriety.
Record #210: Interpol – Antics (2004)
Interpol made one of the truly greatest records of their era. Turn on the Bright Lights was a tour de force that brought post punk into the modern era–a breakthrough that is still going strong today (Neon Trees does nothing but put Interpol songs through a top 40 machine). Unfortunately, that sort of impact would cast a long shadow on the rest of their career.
Record #209: Interpol – Turn On the Bright Lights (2002)
Back in the early aughts,a bunch of bands said, “you know what? Joy Division was really good” and decided to bring post punk back. This was an excellent decision.
Turn on the Bright Lights stands as probably the best testament to that. This record is a definite classic, attached to its moment in time (post 911 New York), yet timeless.Paul Banks’ vocals harken back to the post punk and new wave of the 80s while guitars and drums chop with frantic efficiency alongside some of the best bass lines ever composed.
From the opening guitar tremolos to the reverb that rings out at the end of “Leif Erickson,” TOTBL is a perfect statement, and one that would haunt the band for the rest of their career.
Record #208: Huey Lewis and the News – Sports (1983)
You said it, Bender.