A spoonful of emo (vol. 7)
Posted on 2 December 2005 | 9 Comments
Filed Under: Emo, Old Posts
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You guys (and gals) are familiar with The Mars Volta right? How about Sparta? Well, both those bands rose from the ashes of El Paso, Texas emo legends At The Drive-In.
They toured a lot. A whole fucking lot. ATDI won over countless people with their live shows including me. I first saw them upstairs at Stevie Ray’s House of Wax in Muncie, IN. If you think they were energetic and explosive on big stages, just imagine looking them in the eyes as they are bouncing off the crowd, one another, and the walls of the record store. They were intense. During “Napoleon Solo” I clearly remember Cedric looking us in the eyes (like a man possessed). With the mic in one hand, he proceeded to gesture and seemingly “paint” symbols or words into the air only inches in front of our faces. I was awestruck at the emotional outpouring. They ripped through their songs and with such fervor and tenacity it was almost frightening.
We let them sleep on our floor that night and in return, they gave us a copy of “In/Casino Out” on fabulous clear vinyl. In our tiny two room apartment the guys of ATDI were quiet and unassuming. They obviously left everything on stage. After a few self-released 7” singles, they released their first full-length on Flipside in 1995. They followed that with “In/Casino Out” and the “Vaya EP” on fearless before hooking up with Grand Royal Records. They then put out what is considered by many to be their swan song, “Relationship of Command,” which has sold over a million copies since its release in 2000.
I know I’m gonna catch some flak because Built To Spill is not really emo but (regardless) I am still including them here. The first BTS song I ever heard was “Car” as performed acoustically by Bob Nanna and Chris Broach from (at the time) Braid. I was so floored by their rendition of the song, I asked them who the original was by and they told me. I bought “There’s Nothing Wrong With Love” the next day. That album was the last before the Boise, ID band’s move to a major. It is a little slice of indie-pop heaven from way back in 1994 and “Car” remains one of my favorite songs still. Emo? Maybe not. Emotional and near-perfect? Hell yes.
More to come. Stay tuned.
MP3 | At The Drive-In – Napoleon Solo In/Casino/Out
MP3 | Built To Spill – Car There’s Nothing Wrong With Love
Comments
Great BTS track too. They should have a new record out soon
