Long the lodestar of credibility in punk, Fugazi has steadily chiseled a dogma and oeuvre over the last 12 years that arguably makes them the most important band of the '90s. But what they really want the public to know more than anything is that they have a sense of humor. In their massive documentary, Instrument, Fugazi shows up on an eighth- grade video- project talk show wearing leather jackets and knit caps, answering the questions of a thoroughly nervous teen with notecards and a suburban church dress. Later, drummer Brendan Canty shares with his bandmates how his sister's boyfriend believes the urban legand of Fugazi living in a house without heat and subsisting on a steady diet of nothing but rice. They all have a chuckle. It's understandable how this folklore has been spread, since Fugazi's records and performances are caustic, stern, and cathartic.

Yet Instrument Soundtrack, chock- a- block with demos and studio outtakes, sounds remarkably playful. Heavily instrumental, Instrument Soundtrack draws from the Red Medicine and End Hits sessions, their most eclectic and emotionally complex records. These versions decellerate. A haunted studio echo is infused throughout. For a hissing trip into dub, a watery reverb is thrown over the drumtrack from "Arpeggiator." The skeletal Fugazi relies mainly on groovy rhythm from Joe Lally and Brendan Canty. Their masterful intercourse is the backbone of Fugazi. At moments, the songs de-evolve into rumbling live drum-n-bass tracks. Call it analogica. On second thought, don't.

A wonderfully surprising moment of the soundtrack is Ian McKaye's piano pop ditty, "I'm So Tired." Heart- breakingly beautiful (yes, beautiful), it shows that Fugazi have more talent than their genre can tolerate. Hopefully, the band will turn punk on punk itself and record more sweet pop songs.

Like the Washington Monument that graces the cover of In On the Kill Taker, Fugazi's music towers, massive and elegant, over all of their peers. And just as the Washington Monument currently stands in repair, covered in scaffolding and tarps while still maintaining impressive form and artistic statement, so too does Fugazi's music continue to inspire awe in its constructive state. For all those who worry that the Fugazi story may be coming to an end, both "Instrument" and its soundtrack show a band still growing and, in some ways, just getting started.

-Brent DiCrescenzo