In many ways, At the Drive In's fourth record seemed doomed to failure before a note was recorded; chief among them being time, change and legacy. This album arrives 17 years after previous effort Relationship of Command , a very long absence for ardent fans of the group. There's also the absence of not just original guitarist Jim Ward, but also of producer Ross Robinson, whose work on Relationship of Command helped capture the band's aesthetic like no other (I'm of the firm belief that it stands as Robinson's best work). Then, there's the long shadow Relationship of Command has cast over a generation of emo, screamo and post-hardcore that followed it; it's not simply one of the most influential albums of this century, it's one of this century's best full stop. So, with nearly two decades separation from the impossibly high bar they set, down what many consider a key member, and working with a new producer (Rich Costey is certainly no slouch tho...
SOMEHOW STILL A THING