At the Drive-In
This Station Is Non-Operational

January 21, 2016.

I decided to review this "special" 2005 compilation just at the dawn of this day because At The Drive-In have finally returned to the scene unofficially, after the brief reunion for some concerts that took place in 2012. Probably this time there will be a new album (as suggested by their official website), and personally, I can't wait to savor something.

The first thing one might think of, and I myself immediately thought of, is: "They need money. Money that is missing after the breakup of Mars Volta and that Antemasque doesn't make us earn."

In this case, however, I couldn’t care less! The important thing is that they are back and that this is the good time they return to seriously rock, even though they are no longer the reckless youngsters full of opiates circulating and now all are 40 years old.

And it is for the musical legacy left to us that I want to pay tribute to them, in view of the surprise they will soon give us.

Taking a general look at the tracklist, we can see how it is composed of characteristic tracks ranging from the EP "El Gran Orgo" to the last album "Relationship Of Command", plus various unreleased material and covers.

Someone will have already noticed that there are no tracks from the first EPs and the debut album "Acrobatic Tenement". Don't worry, they haven't renounced their origins.

The multicultural collective consisting of Americans of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Lebanese origin has decided to keep certain things in their place, away from the limelight: in this case, they chose to keep the early works intimate and special, both for themselves and for the people who truly believed in their talent from the very beginning, when they were part of the underground, because they believe they belong to the underground culture. (this is sort of a paraphrase of the words spoken by Jim Ward, one of the guitarists, shortly after the album's release)

Truly admirable.

Returning to the album, with this series of tracks it's possible to observe the musical, technical (and not only) growth of the group. From the still rough Post-Hardcore of "Fahrenheit" we arrive at increasingly mature compositions: from "Napoleon Solo" to "Metronome Arthritis", from the classic evergreen gritty "One Armed Scissor" to the melancholic constructions of "Non-Zero Possibility". They don't need particular introductions.

However, I want to focus on the unreleased material proposed: with "Incetardis" and "Autorelocator" they unleash all their sonic power, only to find relief in the nostalgic and pleasantly bitter notes of the album's gem, namely "Doorman's Placebo". Chameleonic, I would dare say.

I conclude by proposing ATD-I covering the Smiths and Pink Floyd, interpreting with their creative musical perspective, respectively "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" and "Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk". Truly no small feats.

Indescribable and indispensable.

WELCOME BACK!