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At the Drive-In certainly don't need lengthy introductions: they are the true champions of modern Post-Hardcore, one of the most important and successful bands of the last twenty years in Alternative music. Perhaps for this reason, in addition to the fact that they align perfectly with my current musical interests, it seemed justified and interesting to delve into the lesser-known EPs of the band, whose most famous works are undoubtedly the three albums released between 1996 and 2000, the compilation “This Station is Non-Operational,” and the EP “Vaya.” Thus emerges “El Gran Orgo,” an EP released in 1997, published on September 18 of the same year and sold out within three days, just to emphasize how much they were appreciated during the years of their albeit (unfortunately) brief activity.
As mentioned, the year of release is '97, which means one thing: “Acrobatic Tenement” had already been released and had already brought several spotlights of the global music press on the band hailing from dusty El Paso (Texas). Automatically, one might think that this “El Gran Orgo” could be a sort of makeshift collection of leftovers from that first ATDI album, given that none of the songs included ended up in subsequent albums. But this thought is soon dispelled upon listening to the six tracks present on the EP. It is indeed a work in which ATDI channeled songs that addressed certain as-yet-unexpressed facets in “Acrobatic Tenement,” and so we're not faced with a bunch of discarded tracks, but rather with a handful of songs a bit more melodic compared to the 1996 record, songs responding to a less visible sector of these American rockers' soul and songwriting style, which evidently didn’t find the right way or space for full expression in “Acrobatic Tenement.”
This more melodic sound greets the listener right at the beginning of the EP, as the first track (“Give It A Name”) is the most overtly “Pop” piece of the album; it made me think of those bands that play little concerts at college parties in America. This doesn't mean it’s entirely dismissible, but one cannot deny that ATDI has never been just that. With the second track, “Honest To A Fault,” they raise the stakes a bit, but still remain on somewhat softer lines compared to other moments both in this album and in other recordings, past and future. “Fahrenheit” doesn't stray from this style, while “Picket Fence Cartel” is a bit angrier and more engaging, followed by a “Speechless” equally charged and successful, where Cedric Bixler-Zavala, after one of his screams, sings to us “No recollection of affection / we’re only safe from harm when nothing matters.”
Special mention goes to track 3, “Winter Month Novelty,” the best of the EP (in my indisputable judgment); the lyrics pay homage to David Stripling, a figure whose only interest to us is the fact that he comes from El Paso like At the Drive-In. The music of this track wonderfully joins Cedric's lyrics, who, as always, dominates the notes with his singular way of singing. There is no anger in this delicate track, where guitars pamper the listener and entice them to replay the track over and over.
In conclusion, a nice Post-Hardcore EP “tainted” with Emo and Alternative/Indie-Rock, enjoyable, I believe, even for those who are not avid fans of ATDI. The album's title, it should be noted, is a clear tribute to the great Alejandro Jodorowsky, a Chilean surrealist director who if-you-don’t-know-go-and-watch-him-now. Orgo is indeed one of the protagonists in the film "Santa Sangre," and the reference to this work is a clear sign of how much Bixler-Zavala and company are fans of Jodorowsky's cinema.
A couple of post scripts for the most devoted and/or meticulous: 1) in El Gran Orgo, good old Jim Ward neither plays nor sings. Could this also be why it all sounds more melodic and less harsh? 2) For ATDI, this EP left a bit of a sting due to tensions with the label that distributed the record, namely Onefoot Records. Essentially, the band members stated at the time that the label tried to cheat them and have always recommended downloading and copying the album rather than giving money to those dishonest folks at Onefoot Records (their words). So this time, to support the band and their ideas, download, download, and download!
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Give It a Name (02:36)
never thought this day would end
walked the tired steps of latter day friends
and all because your stubborness
was smiling through your braces
never thought this day would come
you threw the bricks that built this wall
amantillado! at the top of your lungs
and i cant hear you anymore
so take your diamond bland shaped tears
and maybe ill see you in twenty years
and i will always wear your ring
you know, the one that turned my finger green
its not you its me
well i never thought this day would end
walked the tired steps of latter day friends
and all because your stubborness
was smiling through your braces
never thought this day would come
you threw the bricks that built this wall
amantillado! at the top of your lungs
and i cant hear you anymore
you dont know what you've got till its gone
silver platter opportunity
you dont know what you've got til its gone
silver platter opportunity
never taught what you thought you knew
meal tickets have been refused
never taught what you thought you knew
meal tickets have been refused
never taught what you thought you knew
you gave me a reason
to sing our last song
so take your diamond bland shaped tears
and maybe ill see you in twenty years
and i will always wear your ring
you know, the one that turned my finger green
its not you its me
02 Honest to a Fault (01:29)
i can't take back all the things
that i've done with my anger
sonic sounds constantly traveling in
and out of my blue screened...mind
two drops down and here i thought
that you'd never treat me like that
wheres my saviour?
hallowed thoughts you won and lost
i'n chained to your mind
if i fall behind
it's cause i'm waiting for now
two drops down and here i thought
that you'd never treat me like that
wheres my saviour?
hallowed thoughts you won and lost
i'n chained to your mind
if i fall behind
it's cause i'm waiting for now
will you fall in love with my anger?
05 Fahrenheit (02:25)
kid creole killed all of his own people
instigate the beat genuflecting in the steeple
video killed what we once stood for
who we gonna look to now?
if these walls could speak i wouldn't tell them anything
don't ask me
press eject and give me the tape
if you know what's good for you
ghetto blasting on the basement floor
if these walls could speak i wouldn't tell them anything
don't ask me
press eject and give me the tape
if you know what's good for you
ghetto blasting on the basement floor
06 Picket Fence Cartel (02:30)
we all become
what we most dislike
in this picket fence cartel
tell? there's nothing left to tell
what have we become
cycle all over again
filled the shoes 'til i was ten
in front of the classroom
in front of my peers
that day will always be remembered
'cause it was etched in tears
daddy taught well
at the end of his belt
we all become
what we most dislike
the walk is too long and i'm tired
tell? there's nothing left to tell
what will i become
when it's my turn again
will it hurt me more than it hurts them
scotch tape the volume of my mouth
withold the expression
that i wasn't allowed
daddy taught well
at the end of his belt
07 Speechless (03:29)
mother nature never smelled so good
can i taste the flower that you carry
brilliant minds with pretty faces never cry
pedestal is crumbling down now you're on the ground
selfless days are way too many
lie back, spread your legs and don't make a sound
because no ones listening
hiding bruises he brings you roses
says i'm sorry, now it's ok
no hard feelings no deep meaning
you were once special, but just just for a day
he hook and baits you to break you in two
now no ones saying that it'll be alright
promises when he says i love you
face first to the floor now you just don;t know
speak up! because no ones listening
all those lonely nights you stayed up and cried
sick to your stomach with butterflies
he says come here and hold me close
you never really seemed to smile wheni touch you
sacharine sweet flavored drinks tastes so old
this burning on your mind makes you feel so cold
leave it all behind when you walk out the door
we leave it all behind just cant let go
no recolection of affection
we're only safe from harm when nothing
matters only 20 years have passed
and you're already feeling old
bell jar is ringing
and no one understands the feeling of
kicking a dead cow and hoping that it will come alive
when everything is wrong you just say i'm doing fine
she's reaching for something right
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