21 gennaio 2016.
Ho deciso di recensire questa compilation "speciale" del 2005 proprio all'alba di questo giorno perchè gli At The Drive-In sono finalmente tornati sulle scene in maniera ufficiosa, dopo la breve reunion per alcuni concerti avvenuta nel 2012. Probabilmente questa volta ci sarà un nuovo disco (come suggerisce il loro sito ufficiale) e, personalmente, non vedo l'ora di assaporare qualcosa.
La prima cosa a cui si potrebbe pensare e a cui io stesso ho pensato subito è: "Hanno bisogno di soldi. Soldi che mancano dopo lo scioglimento dei Mars Volta e che gli Antemasque non ci fanno fare."
In questo caso, però, non me ne potrebbe fregar di meno! L'importante è che siano tornati e che sia la buona volta che ritornino a spaccare seriamente, nonostante non siano più i giovanotti scapestrati pieni di oppiacei in circolo e ormai abbiano tutti 40 anni compiuti.
Ed è per l'eredità musicale a noi lasciata che voglio omaggiarli, in vista della sorpresa che presto ci faranno.
Dando uno sguardo generale alla tracklist, possiamo notare come sia composta da caratteristici brani che vanno dall'EP "El Gran Orgo" fino all'ultimo disco "Relationship Of Command", più vari inediti e cover.
Qualcuno avrà già notato che mancano brani provenienti dai primi EP e dal disco d'esordio "Acrobatic Tenement". Tranquilli, non hanno rinnegato le proprie origini.
Il collettivo multiculturale costituito da americani originari di Messico, Porto Rico e Libano ha deciso di tenere certe cose al loro posto, lontane dai riflettori: in questo caso, hanno scelto di mantenere intimi e speciali i primi lavori, sia per loro stessi e sia per la gente che ha veramente creduto nel loro talento fin dagli albori, quando facevano parte dell'underground, perchè è alla cultura underground che credono di appartenere. (questa è una sorta di parafrasi tratta dalle parole dette da Jim Ward, uno dei chitarristi, poco dopo l'uscita del disco)
Davvero ammirevole.
Tornando al disco, con questa serie di brani è possibile osservare la crescita musicale, tecnica (e non solo) del gruppo. Dal Post-Hardcore ancora ruvido di "Fahrenheit" arriviamo a composizioni sempre più mature: da "Napoleon Solo" a "Metronome Arthritis", dal classico grintoso sempreverde "One Armed Scissor" fino alle costruzioni melancoliche di "Non-Zero Possibility". Non hanno bisogno di particolari introduzioni.
Voglio però concentrarmi sul materiale inedito proposto: con "Incetardis" e "Autorelocator" sfoderano tutta la loro potenza sonora, per poi trovare sollievo nel note nostalgiche e piacevolmente amare della perla del disco, ovvero "Doorman's Placebo". Camaleontici, oserei dire.
Concludo proponendovi gli ATD-I che coverizzano gli Smiths e i Pink Floyd, interpretando nella loro creativa prospettiva musicale, rispettivamente "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" e "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk". Delle prove davvero non da poco.
Indescrivibili e indispensabili.
BENTORNATI !
Elenco tracce e testi
01 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
02 Picket Fence Cartel (02:29)
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
03 Chanbara (02:57)
Valmara, Valmara, Valmara,
Flechettes kiss me with the lisp
Of your shrapnel caress
Lost this arm, lost this lip, lost this diving board
For the belly flopped proposal of
Let's be friends
Tour de force, tour de force
Defacto
Ayachuco!
Prosthetic, Prosthetic, Prosthetic
Blemish necro is the velcro
Of your charred apendage
Cartarize solder gun, in the melting of seeds
Oh, dear God, what a tangled web we weave
All we are the failed attempts
Propelled by stilt-legged presidents
Incarcerate the mason fence
Like flechettes
I'm not biting the lead
My pencil's broken again
We will you fill in the blanks
So I can cheat off your
04 Lopsided (04:40)
this is the accent of the halfhearted land
does it all make sense now
and if the ship was built in bottled sand
does it all make sense now
the anchor's kiss was scrawled in dyslexic crayon
yes it all makes sense now
is this just a life preserver
or a bivouac tenure
the tropic of cancer answered,
"drink the quicksand'
a mirror was splintered on the deck floor
does it all make sense now
a stowaway that lived beneath this hull
does it all make sense now
the anchor's kiss was scrawled in dyslexic crayon
yes it all makes sense now
is this just a life preserver
or a bivouac tenure
the tropic of cancer answered,
"drink the quicksand"
its gills will swin faster after a breath from the shore
is this just a life preserver
or a bivouac tenure
breathe the taste of salt water
dry heave up and overboard
ponce de leon wrinkles
let's make it young again
boat drinks for captains
row our boat stowaway
it all makes sense now
if our map was torn, navigate, navigate
if your compass broke, navigate, navigate
05 Napoleon Solo (04:44)
cut and paste
were you sitting down
on the beaded impotence of new orleans
a hint of suspense when that telephone rings
this is forever
it paved a wave of distance
between the syntax error
from austin's yellow brick road
this is forever
from this texas breath exhaled
no sign of relief
cause this you know, this you know
this is forever
march 23rd hushed the wind, the music died
if you can't get the best of us now
it's cause this is forever
march 23rd hushed the wind, the music died
if you can't get the best of us now
it's cause this is forever
makes no difference
your alphabet is missing letters
seventeen, embalmed and caskets
lowered into the weather
a drizzle, brisk and profound
from this texas breath exhaled
their relief
this is forever
march 23rd hushed the wind, the music died
if you can't get the best of us now
it's cause this is forever
march 23rd hushed the wind, the music died
if you can't get the best of us now
it's cause this is forever
strum this broken harp
we were struck by the chords
set from their hearts
yes this is forever
this is forever
cut and paste
were you sitting down
on the beaded impotence of new orleans
a hint of suspense when that telephone rings
this is forever
this is forever
this is forever
makes no
makes no
makes no
seventeen, embalmed and caskets
lowered into the weather
a drizzle, brisk and profound
from this texas breath exhaled
strum this broken harp
we were struck by the chords
to your heart
this is forever
this is because
this is forever
this is forever
it is because
this is forever
but you can't get the best of us now
06 Pickpocket (02:35)
in the humble stence of nativity
hummed the smell of television snow
a faint S.O.S. flickering
riding on the coattails of their ground zero
neighborhood footprints ingrown
the daylight savings time will never know
of this alabaster cold
your lovers quarrel ended up in crawspace
dental identities will tell us apart
teeth marked and bounded with sighs
step into my parlor
said the spider to the fly
stable hooved footprints ingrown
cloak and dagger muzak blared in ohms
in this alabaster cold
ingrown
more calibur per capita
breakfast table search team implodes
the milk cartons that pour will never know
of this alabaster cold
07 Metronome Arthritis (03:58)
Strike this match
And let loose the oven's breath
Up the volume that
Flirts with the UHF
Swipe the magnet on the audio tape
Tthese arsons of grand larceny
Keep running... keep running in place
Achilles tendon
Severed from the race
Quick to the throat
In this ink cartridge funeral
Marble caps lock
Zip code affiliate
You got a run on your pharmaceuticals
You better change it
Before the night grows old
Set the temperature on delete
Keep running...keep running in place
Let's hit the neighborhood today
Quick to the throat
In this ink cartridge funeral
Marble caps lock
Zip code affiliate
You got a run on your pharmaceuticals
You better change it
Before the night grows old
You got a run on your pharmaceuticals
You better change it
Before the night grows old
Prescriptions filled
Now cut your suit and tie cuticles
You cut your fingernails way too short
What if forensics finds the answers?
What if they stole my fingerprints?
Where did i leave my book of matches?
We'll find you...
What if forensics finds the answers?
What if they stole my fingerprints?
Where did i leave my book of matches?
We'll find you...
We'll find you...
What if forensics finds the answers?
What if they stole my fingerprints?
Where did i leave my book of matches?
We'll find you...
What if forensics finds the answers?
What if they stole my fingerprints?
Where did i leave my book of matches?
We'll find you...
08 198d (04:03)
This is forgiven
if the uniform fits
postponed
at the first showing
this is the tension moat
of frozen icicles
and it feels like it's snowing
you speak in tongues
tremors that warn us of ourselves
(walk away)
born in hearts
etched in cold
at the first showing
(walk away)
born in hearts
etched in cold
nothing bleeds the same
my travel expense paid
postponed
at the first showing
this dance is out of rhythm
we trip on excess steps
postponed
at the first showing
you speak in tongues
tremors that warn us of ourselves
(walk away)
born in hearts
etched in cold
at the first showing
(walk away)
born in hearts
yet etched in cold
swingsets pay
the playground toll
tremors that hold us
tremors that warn us
nothing bleeds like
09 One Armed Scissor (03:45)
Yes this is the campaign
Slithered entrails
In the cargo bay
neutered is the vastness
Hallow vacuum check the
Oxygen tanks
They hibernate
But have they kissed the ground
Pucker up and kiss the asphalt now
Tease this amputation
Splintered larynx
It has access now
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission to
The one armed scissor
Cut away,Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Banked on memory
Mummified circuitry
Skin graft machinery
Sputnik sickles found in the seats
Self-destruct sequence
This station is non-operational
Species growing
Bubbles in an IV loitering
Unknown origins
Is this the comfort of being afraid
Solar eclipsed
Black out the vultures
As they wait
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Dissect a trillion sighs away
Will you get this letter
Jagged pulp sliced in my veins
I write to remember
'Cause I'm a million miles away
Will you get this letter
Jagged pulp sliced in my veins
I write to remember
I write to remember
I write to remember
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Send transmission from
The one armed scissor
Cut away, Cut away
Cut away, Cut away
Cut away, Cut away
10 Enfilade (05:02)
this could last us all a lifetime
limbs intact, untouched
on the screen of a video tape
confined to bedposts
we wait as lepers
upheld at knife's reach
we covet all the status quo
this syringe will take a lifespan
it's filled with bait and tackle
try and catch us if you can
sacrifice on railroad tracks
freight freight train coming X2
un un unconscious tied and gagged
freight freight train coming X2
sacrifice on railroad tracks
freight freight train coming X2
meet us at the corner
of fifth and pontiac
make sure that no one else
is with you
if you wish to see them alive
again
then humor me with this request
humor me with this request
in basements we will hide
amnesia in our alibis
they kept a close eye
on your get well incentive
11 Non-Zero Possibility (05:33)
I'm just tired of counting bodies
Is this mausoleum tardy
Let's just paint you a pretty face
Flies dip tongues into tear ducts
In toothpicks fought unborn
Contusion is hungry
They still eat their young
Proto-culture null and void
All veins in highway laps
This breath collapsed again
This hex was delivered spent
Orchestra influenza
Drawn and quartered pets
It dwells and grows
This is the pocket sized edition
Rabid sleep through benediction
Let's just paint you a pretty face
Museums mark their bodies down
And the tenants found
All the distance in their prefix
Contusion is hungry
They still eat their young
Proto-culture null and void
Fever bliss into central nervousness
I was bitten on the entrance
12 Incetardis (03:26)
So what comes now
Run through the answers and you can feel the scratching
Get down
This breed bring it against so coy
A levitated incubation
Instincts with imprinted cryptic code
A dotted line hit return dash dash
If you took the time to unmask
Retrace the mockers of intemperance
In with the herd
Split poison ivy scratch rash
This calamine lotion made my skin feel good
Right before me they sat
A snitch inaugurated
Lets slip the hunger of these carnivores
This kin is a knock knock knocking on your door
Is it welcome if it happens
Heart sowed a trick - or - treat overture
With this promiscuous livestock
Every day is November first in this Sodom and Gomorrah
Get down
Run through the answers and you can feel the scratching
Get down
Yeah
This coup was made of incognito [x3]
In with the herd
Split poison ivy scratch rash
This calamine lotion made our skin feel good
Right before me they sat
A snitch inaugurated
Lets slip the hunger of these carnivores
Get down
Run through the answers and you can feel the scratching
Get down
Yeah yeah yeah
Quartets from the heir to the throne [x3]
13 Doorman's Placebo (05:32)
Chances are you've heard this
But your headphones mute your equilibrium
Hearing tests the mattress hit the mistress fooled
But nothing ever felt this good
Wake you up and shake you
But your motor skills still speak in slurs
Court jester don't kill the humor [x2]
Chances are you've curved this
The volume of the speakers must be proud
Don't change your tune
A princess' work is never done
In the bed and breakfast beck and call
Wake you up and shake you
But your motor skills still speak in slurs
Court jester don't kill the humor [x2]
Eeyor chase your own [x2]
Court jester don't kill the humor [x2]
Brown shirt italian cut
Goose step and call our bluff
Will your ears ring the tetinitus chorus goes
Will the decibels work as bifocals
[x2]
Chances are you've heard this
Chances are you've cursed this again
Don't change your tune
In hearing tests again
Court jester don't kill the humor [x3]
Eeyor chase your own [x2]
Court jester don't kill the humor
Brown shirt italian cut
Goose step and call our bluff
Will your ears ring the tetinitus chorus goes
Will the decibels work as bifocals
[x2]
Brown shirt italian cut
Goose step and call our bluff
[x2]
Chances are you've heard this
Chances are you've cursed this again
14 Autorelocator (04:59)
This time I'm leaving you
This time I'm leaving you
This time
I'm never coming back, never coming back, never coming back
Pack my bags you'll never see my face again
Never coming back [x3]
I'm leaving you
If you never
Never see my face again [x3]
If you never see my face again
Coming back
Never coming back [x7]
This time I'm leaving you
Iforgot to say good night
I forgot to say good morning [x2]
I'm leaving you
Never coming back [x4]
Carico i commenti... con calma
