At the Drive-In - This Station Is Non-Operational

At the Drive-In
This Station Is Non-Operational
Fearless Records
Grade: A-

With little doubt, At the Drive-In drove at the front of punk during the late 90s and 2000 with a slew of releases on Fearless. El Paso’s ATDI took off with the release of Relationship of Command in 2000 on the now defunct Beastie Boy label Grand Royal. That record placed ATDI on the international scene, but would also be the last of the band. Shortly after, ATDI broke up and lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez went on to form the now super rock band Mars Volta. Along with Tony Hajjar on drums, Paul Hinojos on bass and Jim Ward on guitars and keys, ATDI’s string of yearly releases – Acrobatic Tenement (1997), In/Casino/Out (1998), Vaya (1999) – provides music fans with a treasure trove of punk gems and a clear lineage to the space rock of Mars Volta. Concerning This Station Is Non-Operational, the band picked out eighteen tracks compiling album favorites, b-sides, remixes and covers. How much of the band participated in creating this collection isn’t entirely clear since in my perspective many of the album tracks here don’t qualify as ‘greatest hits.’ But, what the band likes and what the listener enjoys often varies. Still you find solid inclusions of “Picket Fence Cartel” from El Gran Orgo, “Lopsided” and “Napoleon Solo” from In/Casino/Out and “One Armed Scissor” from Relationship of Command. The previously hard to locate songs include “Doorman’s Placebo” from a split with Aasee Lake, a remix of “Rascuache” from a Murder City Devils split, “Autorelocator” from a Sunshine split and “Incetardis” from the One Armed Scissor single. ATDI cover the Smiths’ “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” to medium success, as well as Pink Floyd’s “Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk” from a BBC session. For your viewing pleasure, This Station Is Non-Operational includes a second DVD disc with videos for “One Armed Scissor,” “Invalid Litter Dept.” and “Metronome Arthritis.” Without doubt the video (not to mention the song) for “Invalid Litter Dept.” is both brilliant and intense, where ATDI relay the lives and deaths of poor Mexican women working in maquiladoras on the border. There is also sort of a press kit with interviews and a discography. Obviously, there will be a lot of takers on this anthology from both fans of ATDI and fans of Mars Volta who are looking for grounding in their origin. While a strong offering, some diehards might wish for something more from the once amazing ATDI.