Cover Me

Sleater Kinney's growing pains were palpable in 1999. Critical expectations were high following their much lauded album Dig Me Out, and it was clear the band wanted to expand and develop beyond the pop-punk template. Guitarist Carrie Brownstein's talents were increasingly noticeable, as her solos and vocals fought with Corrin's for attention. The band was grappling with notoriety and fame, and they were being torn apart. The Hot Rock isn't their best album, fragmented and inconsistent down the final few songs, but it's their darkest, most satisfying record that rewards the right kind of mood.

It's also my favorite album cover, tense and wounded that perfectly captures the album's sound. Take a moment to examine it: Corrin is contemplating the chances of stealing away by herself in the hailed taxicab, her orbicular eyes narrowed to wary slits. Ex-lover Carrie strikes a guarded pose behind her, casting a determined, focused look toward the next car, her finger raised like a impatient conductor. Drummer Janet, meanwhile, wants to part from the fray, giving a thousand-yard stare off-shot. The weather is typically Pacific Northwest, non-committal and grey, an accommodating backdrop for dulled, emotional riffing.

The band went through therapy, and released three more top-tier records, but would never again sound so nervy and wonderfully defiant, pushing beyond their individual differences to consummate their gloriously shared sound.