Acrobatic Tenement
| Acrobatic Tenement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by At the Drive-In | ||||
| Released | August 18, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | Late July, 1996 | |||
| Studio | Commercial Soundworks Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Post-hardcore | |||
| Length | 32:20 | |||
| Label | Flipside | |||
| Producer | Blaze James, Doug Green | |||
| At the Drive-In chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Consequence of Sound | C+ [2] |
| Drowned in Sound | 10/10 [3] |
| Pitchfork | 6.5/10[4] |
Acrobatic Tenement is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released on August 18, 1996 on Flipside. The album, along with In/Casino/Out and Relationship of Command, was reissued by Fearless Records in 2004, and was re-released again in 2013.
Only one of the album's tracks made it to the 2005 compilation album, This Station Is Non-Operational, with "Initiation" appearing as a live BBC recording.
Background and recording
The album was initially released on August 18, 1996 exclusively on CD format through the Los Angeles independent record label/fanzine Flipside after a few of the label's staff members were impressed by the band's performance in a small Los Angeles club.[5] The record was recorded in Los Angeles for only $600 after concluding a U.S. tour.[3] Reflecting upon the aftermath of recording Acrobatic Tenement, vocalist Cedric Bixler stated in 2013: "Before [the album's release], the band had broken up. We did a U.S. tour and we decided to split up. I always needed Jim to be there, but he'd had a falling out with Omar. We'd made a bunch of dumb moves at the time — kicked the drummer [Ryan Sawyer] who was on the record out, and then the other guitar player [Adam Amparan] — but then Tony and Paul came and played. Omar switched to guitar at the time, because he played bass on that album, so when we played live, it was a lot different."[6]
Much of the album, including the track "Ebroglio", was inspired by the life and suicide of Julio Venegas, a friend of the band.[7] Venegas later became the inspiration of The Mars Volta's 2003 album De-Loused in the Comatorium.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Starslight" | 1:18 |
| 2. | "Schaffino" | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Ebroglio" | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Initiation" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Communication Drive-In" | 1:44 |
| 6. | "Skips on the Record" | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Paid Vacation Time" | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Ticklish" | 4:35 |
| 9. | "Blue Tag" | 3:17 |
| 10. | "Coating of Arms" | 2:46 |
| 11. | "Porfirio Díaz" | 2:58 |
Total length: |
32:20 | |
Personnel
- Cedric Bixler – Lead vocals
- Jim Ward – Guitar, back-up vocals
- Adam Amparan – Guitar
- Omar Rodríguez – Bass
- Ryan Sawyer – Drums
References
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r350159
- ↑ Bray, Ryan. "At The Drive-In – Acrobatic Tenement [Reissue]". consequenceofsound.net. Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
- 1 2 Tarry, Lucy. "Album Review: At The Drive-In Acrobatic Tenement". drownedinsound.com. Drowned In Sound. Retrieved 2002-07-03.
- ↑ Cohen, Ian. "Double Review of Acrobatic Tenement and Relationship Of Command". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
- ↑ DaRonco, Mike. "All Music Guide Biography". allmusic.com. All Music Guide. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
- ↑ http://www.spin.com/articles/cedric-bixler-zavala-at-the-drive-in-reissue-reunion-mars-volta-interview/
- ↑ Diaconescu, Sorina. "Secrets Of The Sun". laweekly.com. LA Weekly. Retrieved 2003-07-26.