Trenchmouth is probably one of the most important bands you've never heard. They're also probably one of the most misunderstood bands of all time. THICK Recordsis hoping to clear both of these up with this, a retrospective covering the defunct Chicago band's career.

Now, the problem is, how do I describe this band's sound? Well, I'll try a few ways - Ever heard of a band called Franklin? Know how they fused indie rock with dub, rather successfully? Well, substitute "hardcore" in place of "indie rock" and that's Trenchmouth.

Hmm, that didn't work? Well, see if you can imagine what it would sound like if Bad Brains collaborated with Fugazi on an album. Take the post-punk urgency from Fugazi and mix it up with the sheer lunacy of HR and company, and you'd probably have something akin to Trenchmouth.

The band's sound, if none of that makes sense to you, is one of funk mixed with hardcore/thrash mixed with dub. It's unique and highly original, and probably influential. It'd be easy to listen to bands like At The Drive-In or Dismemberment Plan and point out how Trenchmouth influenced each [and actually, both bands admitted many times that Trenchmouth was an influence].

So that brings us to this CD, a retrospective of the band's career. All four of their records were released on Skene! Records and are all now out of print, so THICK took the cream of the crop and produced this 70-minute sampler into the world of Trenchmouth. It's all-inclusive, covering every baby step of the band's evolution [complete with excellent liner notes and artwork]. From the frenetic congas of "Sea of Serenity" to the extended dub jams of "Broadcasting From The Heart" [as well as a previously unreleased, live version of "Onus" from the band's last show], this CD really has it all. It takes a little time to really get into, but if you're someone who likes knowing where your favorite bands came from, this CD's worth your money.