Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Arcarsenal
ORIGINAL VIDEO // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca7vXajwygg
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0:00 Intro
02:55 Reaction
05:56 Analysis – I Loved This
10:36 Analysis – Sonic Cacophony
16:31 Analysis – Unexpected Vocal Work
22:31 Analysis – Lyrical Dive
29:23 Outro
#reaction #atdi #atthedrivein #posthardcore
source
"I don't know what this means" is a really common response to At The Drive-In's lyrics or really a lot of the things they do to be honest! This is one of my favorite tracks on Relationship of Command, but I really hope you do a deep dive on At The Drive-In because their catalogue is so great. In/Casino/Out and Vaya are similar and yet so different in ways I think you will really enjoy.
e: Cedric literally had to re-learn how to sing for The Mars Volta because he wrecked his vocal cords doing all the At The Drive-In songs, they're so emotional and raw but not really sustainable. If you go back and watch later live shows when he sings this song it's different because of the way he sings now
lyrically it’s surrealism in literature put to use
As much as I love the mars volta, I really dislike Cedric’s vocals for ATDI and there’s nothing I can really do about it. but this band is groundbreaking in so many ways
I am 1000% here for a post hardcore journey.
A couple seminal albums, for me:
Frodus: …and we washed our weapons in the sea
Raft of dead Monkeys: Thoroughlev
mewithoutYou: Catch for us the Foxes
Blood Brothers: Burn, Piano Island, Burn
These Arms Are Snakes: Easter
I just asked you to check this out and you did! Of course, I assume it is just a coincidence but one I will gladly accept!
Edit: You saying "this is a weird analysis for me. It's just a lot of controlled noise" is just so perfect. I have a good friend who is now some sort of sound/music engineer. I introduced this band to him and he hated them at first because nothing made sense. Cedric and Omar just make weird noises that shouldn't fit. It didn't take long for him to absolutely love them, though, and I think you may have just been hooked by the ol' gruesome twosome of Omar and Cedric.
Not to take anything away from the rest of the band. Once again, check out Sparta. It's the other guitarist/back up vocalist (except on that one track on In/Casino/Out), drummer, and bassist that make up that band.
Last edit: this was their opening track to their concerts once they made the song and it blows every other acts opening out of the f-bombing water.
Great album
dude please return to the appreciation of the also post-hardcoreish Closure in Moscow content
What a goddamn way to open an album. Talk about making a fucking statement.
Definitely need to review some FUGAZI
Oh FUCK YES!!!!
If you "love this", you NEED to check out DRIVE LIKE JEHU, this album's PRIMARY INFLUENCE
To quote the lead singer of ATDI… "there would be no Relationship of Command without Drive Like Jehu"
Caress, Step on Chameleon, Here Come the Rome Plows, Do You Compute, Luau…please please please, check out Jehu!!!
Yeah you're right on point. I feel like this is trying a little too hard to be something that's already been done. Because of this fact I wouldn't necessarily gravitate towards listening to something like this however I don't think it's bad meaning modern rap is not bad either. I would give modern rap & something like this a grade of C+but while I'm really looking for the A+ band & not just looking for bands or songs with passing grades of C+. Great honest reaction. 👌
The whole album needs a reaction for sure. And of course I’m gonna say react to more unwound. The pinnacle of post hardcore taken to its furthest fringes
If you love post-hardcore you absolutely have to do a deep dive on Glassjaw.
If we go by the most common interpretation of the lyrics been about Dahmer, I could take a wild guess and say that the 'Arca' part of the name is short for arcane.
Arcane = Obscure, secret, Arsenal = collection, array of equipment in abundance. Arcane + Arsenal = Collection of secrets 🤷🏻
That's my deep dive for now 😂
This was the opening track to the album and set the tone immediately. Really need to do the whole album because not only does the quality not dip a bit throughout, but it also covers a lot of different territory song to song.
When you mentioned the soul of post-hardcore I immediately thought of a song from their previous album, Napoleon Solo. Which is an absolute banger as well as their most heartfelt song.
A Post Hardcore classic.
The Mars Volta's first album is like this but more drawn out with Progressive and Psychedelic elements
Yup you definitely should try the whole album. Lots of great tracks beyond these 2, very consistent.
You really should check out tracks from their earlier albums, In/Casino/Out and Vaya for more of a emo/post-hardcore vibe. Tracks like “198d”, “Napoleon Solo”, “Transatlantic Foe”, etc
And for your post-hardcore deep dive, more Fugazi is essential, as well as Hoover
Should also check out Antemasque same band basically haha
I truly believe that if ATDI had continued they would have been a much more important band than Mars Volta. They were simply better, more energetic, original and accessible. Music didn't need another noodling prog rock band like Mars Volta. That type of music was done to death years ago.
How come, with all these discussions of ATDI/Mars Volta, post-HD/post-rock etc., I've never seen anyone mention Golden?
They were a great instrumental band with Jon Theodor on drums and the 12" with Rhythm-Beat Jazz is an absolute classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avXHotktSSE&list=OLAK5uy_kNpEwtatCsMZIVzl2Wi_yp7CThoGyBxRs
Please react to their song "Lopsided". One of the best songs i've ever heard.
Post-hardcore has always been a soup of a genre especially because the hardcore punk genre was always evolving right alongside post-hardcore (from the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag to 90s beatdown hXc)! I'd say the genre is born in the 80s in response to hardcore punk (my picks: Nomeansno and Fugazi), branches off into its own autonomous genre throughout the 90s (my picks: Drive Like Jehu and AtDI), and then in the '00s starts to incorporate elements from 90s hardcore (my picks: Glassjaw and Thrice)
Also: it's sorta funny how we can say there's a "proto" post-hardcore without saying it's just hardcore punk (I'm thinkng of a band like the Wipers).
I think I said my piece on ATDI on the last reaction. I think this definitely shows off how much more they leaned into the aggressive punk attitude than TMV did, but also shows off their burgeoning psychedelic influences in the weird sonic experimental. I should definitely revisit them soon as it's been way too long since I heard them. I basically checked them out after falling in love with TMV and never got back to them.
I always interpreted the title as "Arc arsenal," like Archangel. Could be wrong, of course.
While not quite the post hardcore that most are familiar with, you should definitely start at the routes of the genre with bands like Hüsker Dü, Minutemen, and Big Black before moving to the more obvious bands like Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, The Jesus Lizard, and Unwound.
For your post-hardcore journey, I recommend the album "Juturna" by Circa Survive, and "The Alchemy Index" by Thrice.
This IMO is the weakest song on the album
Enfilade and Cosmonaut are the best songs on the ROC album, no diggity. Pattern against user is also sick.
If you are interested in good hardcore nowadays I really like to recommend you the british band maruja and their song one hand behind the devil.
would love to see a whole reaction to this album. One of my personal favorites and one of the strongest in the genre IMO
Such an amazing album and band… so good live. I knew them first so I never appreciated the mars volta as much
you really should listen to either one armed scissor or cosmonaut next
Hi there.
I have some recommandations.
Amenra – Razoreater
Toundra – Cielo Negro
Psychonaut – All Your Gods Have Gone
O'Brother – Burn
Bossk – I
Russian Circles – Atackla
Cheers 🙂
i love The Mars Volta, but I've never been able to get into At The Drive In despite trying; Cedric's screaming vocals are just so offputting to me. The Mars Volta all the way!
For me the title is Arcane + Arsenal but maybe I’m playing too much RPGs
Hail the Sun gives me strong Circa Survive/Anthony Green vibes.
2000s post-hardcore was an incredible time of innovation. Really, if the record industry hadn't collapsed a lot more of those bands would have been household names. Blood Brothers immediately come to mind, especially for taking chaotic dissonance, polyrhythms, and screamed vocals and making it all sound catchy.