Autoclave cover

Autoclave

Released

Even a decade in, Dischord was still helping to launch the careers of future underground heroes. Mary Timony, later of Helium, Wild Flag, Ex Hex and more, and Christina Billotte, who went on to Slant 6, Quix*o*tic and Casual Dots, debuted on the label in the excellent, underrated Autoclave. The band’s two Dischord EPs, co-issued with other labels and later compiled into one release, now seem like a crystal-ball foretelling of the next decade or so of forward-thinking indie rock. Listening now you might hear the seeds of Sleater-Kinney’s spare, artful drive as well as hints of math rock’s wondrous micro-detail in the tendril-like riffs and morse-code rhythms of songs like “Go Far” and “Still Here.” The refinement and subtlety that Timony, Billotte, guitarist Nikki Chapman and drummer Mellissa Berkoff displayed here exemplified how much the label’s aesthetic had evolved since its launch.

Hank Shteamer

Suggestions
In / Casino / Out cover

In / Casino / Out

At the Drive-In
Flex Your Head cover

Flex Your Head

Various Artists
Get Evens cover

Get Evens

The Evens
Manos cover

Manos

The Spinanes
The Devil You Know cover

The Devil You Know

The Coathangers
The Faith / Void cover

The Faith / Void

The Faith, Void
Pod cover

Pod

The Breeders
Basilisk cover

Basilisk

J. Robbins
Half Divorced cover

Half Divorced

Pissed Jeans