The Teen Idles: Dischord No. 100

The venerable, hyper-credible Dischord Records label is putting out its 100th release since forming 16 years ago, and appropriately enough, it's a reissue of some early recordings by the same band that recorded its first. Consisting of five demos circa 1979 and 1980, the 10-minute CD is far from an essential punk-rock document—the liner notes admit The Teen Idles was little more than "a bunch of high-school punk rockers," and that these early recordings didn't even sound particularly impressive to the band at the time—but it symbolizes a milestone worth celebrating and respecting. Do any of these songs sound much better than the work of a thousand basement bands today Not really, but how many of those groups will grow up to become legends like Fugazi frontman and genuinely influential label mogul Ian MacKaye