At The Drive-In in Retrospect: ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! (1995)
At The Drive-In’s second release ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! arrived about eight months after their debut EP, Hell Paso. Those eight months appear to have been spent well with ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! being far superior to its predecessor having benefitted from the extra time spent as a band. Again, the only band members from the “classic” line-up on this release are Ward and Bixler-Zavala, with the only change being the departure of drummer, Bernie Rincon, who was replaced by Davy Simmons. However, the music here is much more exciting. Things were starting to gel at this stage and here is where At The Drive-In began creating their signature sound.
The music bursts forth with much more energy than it did on Hell Paso. If that first release was the sound of a band taking its nervous first steps, ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! is the sound of the band finding its footing and beginning to stand up for itself. They’ve dispensed with the formulaic trappings that the earlier songs fell into and begun to embrace the odd flourishes that would become their staple in years to come. The production quality has also been raised, particularly with regards to Bixler-Zavala’s voice, which was lost in the mix a little on Hell Paso. However, if you’re expecting this to sound anything like Relationship of Command, you’re still going to be disappointed.
This EP, while being a huge step forward, is still the sound of a band trying to figure themselves out. With this release they sound much more fun and happy than the band we know from 2001. It’s almost as if this was recorded at a party. There’s a fun energy about it. There isn’t the aggression of later At The Drive-In, but they’re certainly developing the energy that would make them one of the most powerful live acts in the world.
There isn’t really much more to be said about his release. It’s a huge step up from Hell Paso, but it also serves as a transition to their next recording, which would be their first full-length album, Acrobatic Tenement. It’s as though this EP was their testing ground. They were seeing if this new sound would work and if they could capture some of their live energy. If that was the case, then ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! couldn’t be deemed as anything more than a successful outing. If you want the true start to At The Drive-In’s sound, this EP is it.
By the way, if you’re curious about the title, it roughly translates to, “Alfaro lives, damn it!” and references the extremely left-wing Eloy Alfaro Popular Armed Forces group in Ecuador. It’s the first indication of the strong-minded political nature that At The Drive-In would develop.
Other articles in this series:
At The Drive-In’s second release ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! arrived about eight months after their debut EP, Hell Paso. Those eight months appear to have been spent well with ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! being far superior to its predecessor having benefitted from the extra time spent as a band. Again, the only band members from the “classic” line-up on this release are Ward and Bixler-Zavala, with the only change being the departure of drummer, Bernie Rincon, who was replaced by Davy Simmons. However, the music here is much more exciting. Things were starting to gel at this stage and here is where At The Drive-In began creating their signature sound.
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