To see Sleater-Kinney as a riot grrrl band does them a bit of a disservice; to see them as an indie rock band, on the other hand, does a disservice to their origin, and their ideals. Brownstein, Tucker, and Weiss were keen to lay out and explode the expectations set out by a larger world.
They never stopped rocking about rock, because they were always thinking about it and it was always being thrown in their faces. But when they sang about someone pricing your body or crawling up the stairway to heaven, it was never just about music. What follows is a list of Sleater-Kinney albums in some kind of order. We can talk Portlandia in the comments. Sleater-Kinney Clocking out after a mere 22 minutes, Sleater-Kinney's debut takes the stylistic torch of the Pacific Northwest indie scene and holds it heroically high.
At this point, the band was a side project, but as a combination of Heavens To Betsy's rangy melodicism and Excuse 17's tight punk-rock rhythmic chops, it's clear in retrospect why this new project became the primary focus.
The album is a heady series of refusals: to sell out, to be defined by any relationship, to be claimed by the hungry maw of American masculinity. The basic dynamic was established here: Tucker occupies the low end and Brownstein provides minimalist, melodic pings.
At the time, the album was regarded in the larger music press as an exemplary riot grrrl document, but it's now clear how grand the band's sonic ambition was. The downcast, alt-pop "The Day I Went Away" is an early experiment in contrasting vocals, with Tucker taking the chorus, contributing a poignancy to Brownstein's affecting flatness on the verses' line endings.
And "Slow Song" rides the range as well as vintage Pavement, with Tucker scaling back the ululations for heart-tugging alienation. Remarkably, the album was recorded in a single day with a recruited drummer Lora Macfarlane during a trip to Australia. The band's founders were a couple at this point, a fact revealed to the world -- and the band's families -- in a Spin article. Macfarlane -- who sings lead on "Lora's Song," backed by Tucker's subtle rhythmic chopping -- moved to Seattle, recording the follow-up Call The Doctor.
Sleater-Kinney 's reputation has suffered in comparison to the confident punk-rock surge of Doctor , but make no mistake: This is an assured, powerful record. The Hot Rock Having proven their bonafides regarding pop concision and stardom, Sleater-Kinney doubled back toward a calmer, more introspective sound. Brownstein had become a devotee of the Go-Betweens, the beloved Australian pop-rock act who were in the midst of an extended hiatus.
Even without hearing the lush, textured approach enter the band's tonal repertoire, it's easy to picture how the Go-Betweens appealed to Brownstein on a biographical level: like Sleater-Kinney, the band featured two singer-songwriters, each with his particular approach. The Hot Rock 's title contributes to this more oblique sensibility.
While rock heads could view it as a tip to the Rolling Stones, the title track makes it clear that the primary connection is to the Robert Redford heist comedy of the same name.
McLennan was an inveterate film freak ; it's entirely possible that "The Hot Rock" was a sly homage on Sleater-Kinney's part. Even in softer form, the band's chemistry is unassailable. Tucker and Brownstein perform a virtuoso ping-pong on "Burn, Don't Freeze! In "Get Up" filmed by Miranda July as the band's first music video , Tucker talks her desire out in classic Gordonian form, modulating her signature trills into something quite wistful.
At one point, someone interjects the loveliest "whoo! But it doesn't really matter; they'd weathered both a breakup and a brighter spotlight, their sonic synchronicity only gaining force. While her vocals tend toward the placid on the record, she's assisted by the usual guitar intricacy and Tucker's able vocal support. They were stopped cold in the artists' reception tent; on a chalkboard listing the lodging assignments, someone had scrawled "ladymen -- yes" next to the number of their chalet.
They duly converted the tone-deaf joke into "Ballad Of A Ladyman," a stunning combination of glam Bowie and adult alternative wherein Tucker croons about the pressure to conform, something the band still faced, even as they continued to annex exciting new territory. According to the band, even at this late date people were still asking when they were going to add a bassist. They didn't want one, they didn't need one, but unlike the White Stripes pretty early into their career at this point , some still saw its absence as a bug, not a feature.
Ask Prince: conjuring a bass is a much cooler trick. On a pair of All Hands ' lean rock and rollers, you'd swear someone is holding down the low-end. Perhaps it's that beautiful harmony on the final chorus. Five albums in, it's clear that S-K still had every intention of having fun and surprising on their hard-won terms.
Tucker drops a few obvious French signifiers on both "Male Model" and "Milkshake N' Honey": the former cheerfully offers to re-gender the rock hierarchy; the latter finds Tucker dropping into her lower register for a louche tale of a Parisian fling. In a scene that was still a couple years away from thinking it had invented dancing, Sleater-Kinney kept cranking out booty-shaking, sub-three-minute feminist anthems.
Call The Doctor For a document so quickly executed, the debut was a hell of a thing. Call The Doctor adds to the palette while exhibiting a keener sense of sequencing. Sleater-Kinney has the two shortest songs in the band's catalog -- either of which could have been a ripping opener -- and closes with three straight tracks with the word "song" in the title.
Brownstein ups her vocal contributions, offering soaring countermelodies on "Stay Where You Are," high-flown support on "Hubcap," rejoinders on the title track.
Macfarlane keeps the kit on lock, an improvement on her work on the debut -- understandable, given the compressed nature of Sleater-Kinney 's recording. According to Wikipedia, she played guitar on the wide-eyed closer "Heart Attack," which, just like debut's "The Last Song," is sung by Brownstein. Her screaming stands in stark contrast to the gentle arpeggiation, just another example of the band's capability to subvert expectations.
At this point in their career -- and, really, very rarely afterward -- Sleater-Kinney did not deal in quietude. As writers and singers, Tucker and Brownstein masterfully forsook vulnerability; the sentiments were raw, even incendiary, but like their scene forebears, they're presented as inquiries, not apologies. Even "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" -- the most well-known track on Call The Doctor -- though it explodes with gleeful see-saw yowls on the refrain, it mostly crawls forward on the low end, accruing that death-drive energy.
The title can certainly scan as twee, but Tucker claims a different kind of desire, crowning herself "the queen of rock and roll. At the same time, Sleater-Kinney were staking their claim to the kind of plaudits accorded all too infrequently to bands masterminded by women.
Soon enough, this song would look like a prophecy; at the time, it must have seemed like an astounding wish. One Beat As Tom Breihan noted in his excellent year commemoration of One Beat , circumstances both political and profoundly personal influenced its creation.
She had given birth five months prior to a baby born nine weeks early. Tucker rejoined the group with a singular experience of motherhood. Muted, curlicuing guitar breaks mirror her holding her breath, praying that the sky "doesn't rain on my family tonight.
The second verse is a full-on Temptations-style raveup, with a full-gospel Tucker directly addressing her bandmates while engaging in a bit of call-and-response replete with "whoo-hoo-hoo"s.
It's a testament to Tucker's raw power that lines like "shake a tail for peace and love" don't land as goofy appropriation or goopy sentiment. The force of her singing recalls those early records, but all through One Beat you can practically hear her assume the weight of capturing something immense. She uses her full range, alternately sneering and cajoling, cooing and searching.
Brownstein and Weiss -- who continues to fully inhabit the soundscape, even adding cowbell at one point -- contribute their most ironically angelic harmonies yet. On the lyrical front, their writing sessions yielded evocative imagery both concrete as on "Light Rail Coyote," the crashing, sawtoothed tribute to surviving Portland and figurative the "meaning in sores" and "grammar of skin" in "Sympathy".
I kinda dig the riot grrl thing, to be honest. That said, I do think that the main vocalist is the primary issue here. The problems are two-fold. First, the vocals are super inconsistent. One track will be great, the next will be indiscipherably mumble-shouted.
The next will start great and then turn into atonal nonsense. The second issue is Corin Tucker's leaning into her vibrato too heavily. Her vocals on this album are a one-trick-pony that's asked to perform so often that the trick loses its novelty.
Overall, though, this is a solid punk album and I'm here for the riot grrl schtick. It works for me. It's amazing when a band can wear their influences so proudly, yet still sound utterly unique.
Every song is an anthem to be played while the world collapses, and during its reconstruction. This was like listening to my angsty 14 year old sisters band in I love the Riot Grrrl sound so much. Not only is this important music, it is also impressively powerful, raging, and Righteous. Sounded like pumk to me. I liked it the energy and rawness of the guitar and vocals. Will listen again! One of the greatest albums of the 90s.
Guitar interplay is amazing. Corin Tucker's vocals are incredible. These rockers are full of vigor, and I cannot relate, for I am merely a sentient blob wasting away into nothingness over time. Seriously, though, this was riot grrrl all the way. Having always had a tough time getting into punk not into such brash vocals for any gender at all , I actually enjoyed this?
Sometimes I liked being able to focus on the instrumentals a bit more, but I think that's just my musician bias showing. Loved the final song, emotional and raw voice lines accompanied by clear and playful guitar sounds. Me gusta mucho la voz de Corin Tucker en este disco con ese vibrato que transmite enojo o tristeza.
Although I love bass, I also enjoy a duel guitar setup. Lots of fun interplay here. Like a good trio too cause you can hear each element so distinctly. Wish I woulda caught a show back in the day. A great album, love the driving grunge, lyrics with vulnerability and aggression.
Had listened only to their more recent album from , which was also very good. Coincidentally I was recently listening to a This American Life episode from in which they featured "Words and Guitar," which made me like that song even more. I did not learn until after that there is no bass, which I was impressed with because they have achieved a full sound without it. A very cool album. I would never have head it but I am so lfad I did. Bands that started as punk bands make for cool bands.
Dig Me Out is the follow-up to Sleater-Kinney's highly acclaimed second album Call the Doctor, released in by the queercore independent record label Chainsaw Records. Call the Doctor confirmed the band's reputation as one of the major musical acts from the Pacific Northwest, rebelling against gender roles, consumerism, and indie rock's male-dominated hierarchy The song "One More Hour" is about the breakup of Tucker and Brownstein's romantic relationship Like its predecessor, Dig Me Out also features songs that show frustration with sexism and gender stereotypes.
There are some awesome guitar tones on this thing. I enjoyed much more than I expected to. Dig Me Out is a super strong opener. Though I don't really love the dual guitar no bass setup, sonically it works. Though Corin Tucker's vocals cut like a frenzied, razor sharp knife. Not What You Want is great multi-layered track. I do love how the backing vocals are so distinctive on the album in general.
Jenny is a strong closer. Generally I would give it a 3, but the day wanted me to have the mindset for this. Fun ride. Super fun riot grrrl stuff. Gets a little samey, but not in a bad way.
It wants you align with its vibe, and if you won't do that then fuck you. I like that energy. Sleater-Kinney find their stride on this album full of angst and polish. Girl rock deserves some special attention as this exemplifies what the genre can offer. The vibrato starts to grate..
Kate was not a fan. And this is what I have always remembered any time Sleater-Kinney has come on or come up in discussion, especially around Kate. Now I have learned that this never happened. We did go to the show in Baltimore, but Sleater-Kinney wasn't there. We may have both seen Sleater-Kinney open for PJ in '03, but weren't there together.
Not sure how this Mandela Effect of a memory got into my brain, but I'm gonna default to blaming the marijuana. I've listened at least 3 times trying to figure out where to land on this. I like female-fronted rock bands. Really like. It's what I listen to more than anything else. Sleater-Kinney should be right up my alley. But I've never quite gotten into them. I've always tolerated them more than Kate, who despite that false memory really doesn't dig Carrie Brownstein's voice.
I've only ever listened to them in small doses - I think this was the first time I listened to a full album. My first reaction was an agreement that I don't love the warbling thing that Brownstein does with her voice. But by the time I got to the end of the album, it was growing on me a bit. Sometimes the warble is used very effectively, other times less so. On repeated listens, I came around more. And "Little Babies" is by far the worst song on this record - I'm not sure what hell-yeah sees there.
Throughout the album, though, the energy is great, full of punk and riott ferver. I still wound up stuck between 3 and 4 stars. So I'll complain about the 5-star system again. Untappd has a 5-star system, but broken up into. I promise not to whine about the star system for another 10 albums Remember that episode of Portlandia where they're at a 'cool' wedding and Well all my friends tell me that I should watch and it's sooo funny Sleater-Kinney was one of those bands that I should've spent time listening to but I never made time for them until now.
Some of the tracks are familiar but most of it I'd never heard. I dig the repetition and the syncopated rhythms and raw energy. I bet they put together a great show. They're at Merriweather in August. I'm not tied to Carrie's voice, but it plays really well on this track. Perhaps in another 20 years I'll get around to watching some Portlandia. I understand it's something that I'd dig. A good surprise. Enjoyed it. Band I'd never heard before -- One More Hour is a great tune.
Live this album such energy and passion. And the songs are great. The high-pitched, warbling vocal style is an acquired taste, but one that I have acquired and now crave.
These women rock with enthusiasm and they have the chops Can sound thin due to the 2 guitar no bass set up but never shrill, I can say as a bass player and bass lover that I don't miss it. There are few things more pleasurable in music than chaotic dissonance cohering into blissful melodic order, and then crumbling back. And that's what Sleater-Kinney do time and time again, and the trick never wears thin. A lot of fun, and super energetic and creative.
I just wish a lot of the songs were looonger! This album would have benefited from having a different lead vocalist, but it's not bad. Maybe more misses than hits, but the hits are solid. Best track: Heart Factory. Feminist Punk I really appreciate the message and movement. Too bad I did not grow up with this movement Despite their strong message, their style is not very mature yet in this album. I mean, it's not a bad album, but I was not nearly as impressed as I expected to be I appreciate the aesthetic here.
Interesting that one of the members was part of Portlandia which helped their revival. That said, I would much rather listen to this in a loud dive-venue, in my experience that's where this music has the most power. Listening to it outside of that just isn't the same. It is a little same-y as well, but again it works better as a live experience for me.
Hey look, it's Carrie from Portlandia! I think I've heard just the newest album from Sleater-Kinney prior to this. They're a solid punk band, a bit more polished than the garage-band variety of punk, but with the same energy. I don't love the vocals, but they're good on a few tracks.
Overall, this isn't an album I'd return to but it's not bad, still a couple tracks that I did enjoy. Always a pleasure to get some music from female artists on this list! Favorite tracks: One More Hour, Babies. Album art: This one's cool, I like the different panels for the three band members. Definitely fits the '90s very well. Oh Riot Grrl, you rock my world.
Oh to be in Seattle at the turn of the Millennium hearing this in a smoky pool hall. Carrie Brownstein's voice is warbly almost too warbly but the energy of what's going on justifies it. Surfy, punky and quick. It's hard not to groove here. Totally rad, but it hasn't aged as well as it could have. Not great at all times, but there's some gems here.
The back half really shines, especially "Buy her candy". Neo punk alt.
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