2. Relationship of Command, At The Drive-In (2000). This is a complete 180 from that Any Trouble album but 2010 was the year that I finally picked up At The Drive-In’s final album and all I can say is it was about time. In/Casino/Out (1998) and Acrobatic Tenement (1996) are great but I think they really nailed it on this one. I tend to think of it as the culmination of everything that happened in the 1990’s: the perfect combo of agression, pop, and experimentation. Unfortunately, they broke up a year after it’s release and split into the two polar factions — Sparta (the pop) and Mars Volta (the experimentation) — so who knows what could have been…

Anyway, if you have a chance, check out their performance of “One Armed Scissor” on Letterman in 2000. Usually these TV performances are bland and uneventful, but these guys absolutely kill it. Omar (the guitarist with a fro) is incredible.