I’ve never been a dedicated At The Drive-In fan, so I don’t have much knowledge about their albums, which is precisely why this retrospective collection is perfect for me or anyone who needs to catch up with the band. It’s particularly useful for fans of The Mars Volta and Sparta who want to check out the roots that spawned those psych/prog and punk/metal offshoot bands.

This collection does an excellent job of displaying the band’s musical evolution over the years. If you compare the first song on the album, “Fahrenheit,” an enjoyable, but fairly typical punk-metal offering, to later tracks such as the slow-paced but uber-intense “Non-Zero Possibility” or the drum machine-driven B-side “Autorelocator,” you’ll see what I mean. Then listen to your Mars Volta, and it’ll probably fit together somewhat nicely, or at least make some sense. (The Pink Floyd cover that closes this collection doesn’t hurt, either).

This album does enough to get the listener interested in some of the music not included here, which was probably the point of this anthology. Good job. Good band.