Monday, July 1, 2013

Underrated Classic - At the Drive-in "In / Casino / Out"

Before they signed to Beastie Boys Grand Royal label, Texas' post-hardcore heroes At the Drive-in crafted an independent, raw, unapologetic masterpiece with their sophomore album, In / Casino / Out. Released in 1998, a handful of years before their hit single "One Armed Scissor" would dominate rock radio, At the Drive-in were just an underground sensation fro El Paso, but after putting out their second album, their sound and energy began to make them more than just hometown heroes. The band recorded In / Casino / Out live in the studio to capture their natural, live sound which bottled the bands energy into wax and released it to the masses. With the three albums the band released, 1996's Acrobatic Tenement and 2000's brilliant Relationship of Command, In / Casino / Out was the middle child caught between two worlds - one of lo-fi, which Tenement had and the much more polished but furious sound that Command had. This was the perfect middle ground and years later, is the best blueprint to what this bands sound and style was all about. When they reunited last year for a series of concerts that included hometown shows, Coachella, and Lollapalooza, a majority of the bands set list would come from this record and it was the fans that would welcome it. Ask any fan of this band and they will tell you, In / Casino / Out is At the Drive-in at their finest.