''Acrobatic Tenement'' is the debut studio album by American

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

band

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums ...

, released on August 18, 1996, on Flipside. The album was reissued by Fearless Records in 2004, along with the band's subsequent albums '' In/Casino/Out'' and ''

Relationship of Command ''Relationship of Command'' is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released on September 12, 2000. The album combines an aggressive edge with a melodic drive, harmonious, emotive vocals, and surreal lyrics. Whil ...

'', and was re-released again in 2013. Only one track from ''Acrobatic Tenement'' appeared on the band's 2005 retrospective

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

'' This Station Is Non-Operational'', with "Initiation" appearing as a live BBC recording.

Background and recording

''Acrobatic Tenement'' was initially released on August 18, 1996, exclusively on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

through the Los Angeles–based independent record label/

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

'' Flipside'', after some of its editors saw the band perform in Los Angeles. The record was recorded at Commercial Soundworks in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

for only $600 () after the band concluded a tour of the United States. The album has been noted for its lack of guitar

distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...

, due to guitarist Jim Ward believing that his distortion-free recorded parts would not be used for the final master. Reflecting upon the aftermath of recording ''Acrobatic Tenement'', frontman Cedric Bixler recalled in 2013: "Before he album's release the band had broken up. We did a U.S. tour and we decided to split up. I always needed Jim to be there, but he'd had a falling out with Omar odríguez-Lopez We'd made a bunch of dumb moves at the time—kicked the drummer yan Sawyerwho was on the record out, and then the other guitar player dam Amparan��but then Tony ajjarand Paul inojoscame and played. Omar switched to guitar at the time, because he played bass on that album, so when we played live, it was a lot different." Much of the album, particularly the track "Ebroglio," was inspired by the life and suicide of Julio Venegas, a friend of the band. Venegas' death later inspired the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

storyline of '' De-Loused in the Comatorium'', the debut album by Bixler and Rodríguez' subsequent project

the Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the ban ...

Track listing

Personnel

* Cedric Bixler-Zavala – lead vocals * Jim Ward – guitar, backing vocals *Adam Amparan – guitar * Omar Rodríguez-López – bass guitar *Ryan Sawyer – drums

References

{{Authority control 1996 debut albums At the Drive-In albums