Given the success and artistic range that the members of At the Drive-In achieved in the bands they formed after their initial group's breakup--singer Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez in the Mars Volta, and guitarist Jim Ward, bassist Paul Hinojos, and drummer Tony Hajjar in Sparta--it might be tempting to overlook the accomplishments of their first project. As THIS STATION IS NON-OPERATIONAL reminds us, however, that would be a mistake. A CD-plus-DVD compilation of hits, B-sides, BBC sessions, remixes, and videos, THIS STATION is a career-defining retrospective worthy of this influential indie band.

Disc One contains tracks culled from the group's 1998 EP, EL GRAN ORGO, through to its final full-length album, 2000's RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND (the songs are chronologically arranged), and appends them with a series of rarities (including covers of tunes by the Smiths and Pink Floyd). Disc Two is a DVD with videos, a discography, and extras. Though its life-span was relatively brief, and its output small, ATDI fused the angst-ridden fire of emo, the moody angles of indie rock, and the sonic intensity of hardcore with an integrity that few of its imitators have been able to match. This excellent, well-selected set is a testament to the band's influence.