At The Drive-In

At The Drive-In and Refused are reuniting this year, both restarting their glory at Coachella 2012.

Both bands broke up at the height of their success, shortly after releasing their respective masterpieces: At The Drive-In’s Relationship of Command (2000) and Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come (1998). These are two incredible albums, among my favourites, and they set the bar very high for a reunion. Though neither band has confirmed any new material, the return of such quality musicians warrants those unfamiliar with the music to seek out these two albums from the late ’90s.

At The Drive-In disbanded in 2001, a year after releasing Relationship of Command. Named one of Spin magazine’s greatest albums from 1985 to 2005, it was the crescendo of everything punk and hardcore rock had been building to. It only takes a swift clobbering to the face by the opening track “Arcarsenal” to understand the pace at which the crunchy guitars and lyrical trips will tear through your senses.

Their most popular track, “One Armed Scissor,” is also their most accessible and was the one that drew me into this band, introducing me to an album that encapsulates everything I love about rock. Considered post-hardcore — whatever that means — At The Drive-In sounds not unlike Rage Against the Machine, while adding a kind of psychedelic aggression that has yet to be replicated.

Relationship of Command has a deft balance of melody and pure cacophony within and between the tracks. It is a loud and relentlessly efficient album, lyrically obtuse yet deeply satisfying. Watch any video from their last festival performance at Sydney’s Big Day Out 2001 on YouTube, and you will see exactly what I mean. If you like loud, acidic punk rock, At The Drive-In is not to be missed.

On paper, Refused set themselves up to fail with their last album. Calling your album The Shape of Punk to Come and containing self-referential songs like “Refused Are Fucking Dead” and “The Refused Party Program” while adding electronic elements into punk-rock all take a special type of confidence. Luckily for them, the album is flawless.

Refused

It is a politically-charged work of anthemic screams and effect-laden melodies that demand to be head-banged to. Their most recognized track, “New Noise,” is what I would describe as the ultimate hype song. In the same vein as Blur’s venerable “Song 2,” it builds, drops and builds again, and even contains ambient crowd-noise to steep you in its tension. It’s the perfect song to set to a movie trailer or extreme sport segment, while having that endless replay value few songs can deliver.

Other standout tracks are “Liberation Frequency” and the aforementioned “Refused Are Fucking Dead.” This album is often recognized as a seminal piece of modern punk rock, and elements of their then-progressive sound can be found in the genre today. Go buy this album, then imagine a world without it, and cry.

Hopefully these bands’ reunions will inspire a new generation of musicians to capture the essence of the late ’90s post-hardcore scene and make it new. Though there have been a great number of bands since, nobody has seemed to really capture the pure energy these two bands — and specifically these albums — possess.

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Photos: Supplied