Although they didn’t stick around long enough to witness it first hand, At the Drive In definitely left their mark on rock music, as evidenced by the multitude of bands that sound akin to the El Paso cult favorites. Case in point: the emergence of Minneapolis’ finest, Plastic Constellations. As evidenced by the quartet’s third full-length overall (and first for the French Kiss label), the group specializes in the same kind of prog, emo, hardcore hybrid that Cedric Bixler and company did, while the vocals often bring to mind Fugazi circa their classic Repeater days. But somehow, Plastic Constellations manage to create a concoction that wouldn’t sound completely out of place on radio or MTV — quite an accomplishment when the majority of their main influences were never truly accepted by either outlet. After sampling the opener, “Phoenix and the Faultline,” you may be fooled into thinking that there’s no way the group can keep up the intensity and avalanche of sound throughout. But somehow, the chaps pull it off, as evidenced by such additional standouts as “Iron City Jungles,” “Sancho Panza,” and “Men in Dark Times.” On Crusades, Plastic Constellations manage to be both challenging yet catchy at the same time — a rarity in modern day rock music. – Greg Prato