Grapthar's Song of the Day: At The Drive-In - 'A Devil Among the Tailors'

that are, without a doubt, one of my all time favorites, whose sound really shaped my tastes in high school, and help open my mind to more interesting, ground-breaking, genre bending music. They were originally formed in 1994 in El Paso, TX by singer Cedrix Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Jim Ward. Omar Rodriguez Lopez was originally on bass, but after their second EP, moved to guitar, and the group's line-up was rounded out by Paul Hinojos on bass and Tony Hajjar on drums. Their early music was very much in the post-hardcore/emo category, though Lopez's guitar work always was sort of strange, and just on the edge of stranger, more experimental ideas. As the group grew, their sound did as well, eventually creating something that would become entirely their own. At the height of their talent and popularity, the band split, due to internal conflicts. They have since reuinited, though without Jim Ward. After ATDI split, Ward went on to form Sparta who continued in the post-hardcore direction, while Lopez and Bixler-Zavala formed The Mars Volta, going in a more experimental, progressive direction.

In/Casino/Out, which is often considered the 'mid-point' in the groups sound, as it embraces some of the dirtier, DIY punky/hardcore elements of their early music, but also shows the group trying new things and new sounds, which would be much more prominent on their next release. This album was also recorded live in studio, as the group wanted to capture the energy of their live shows, which were known to be absolutely wild, energetic, and powerful affairs. This song is a good example of how the group was going in a new direction, as it doesn't really sound like anything they had done before it. Cedric's signature yelling, almost rapping, style is apparent, but musically it is quite different, even from everything on the album around it. It's a bit slower, more driving, and has really cool, dark, dissonant guitar parts, which are the clear predecessors to what Lopez what eventually do with The Mars Volta. I believe this was also the first ATDI track I heard, most likely downloaded on Napster or Limewire/Morpheus, after hearing about the group from a friend at school.