Music Review- Sleater-Kinney

Oh sweet matzo balls yes! I have found a lesbo band that I can listen to indefinitely and has absolutely no acoustic guitar. Sleater-Kinney, if you didn't know, is a riot grrl band that went on hiatus in 2006. They are very feminist, very political and very fun to dance to. Now, I had a nagging problem of dancing when I should have been listening carefully, but my biggest problem was that the lyrics are somewhat hard to hear through the veils of guitar, drums, and a slight bit of distortion due to my shitty speakers. I looked up the lyrics, and it was worth it- every song is thought out thoroughly and nicely poetic, but also enjoyable to listen to.

Corin Tucker, Janet Weiss and Carrie Brownstein. Hot times three.

Yes, I said every song. I didn't dislike a single song in six albums. That has to be a record for me. I listened to all the albums four or so times each, just trying to narrow my favorites down. I definitely advise anyone who likes rock to listen to Sleater-Kinney.


Sleater-Kinney, 1995. "The Day I Went Away", "A Real Man", "Her Again".
Snarky and gritty but so, so danceable. This is punk how I like it- passionate, slightly grungy and you feel like you need to be dancing with a bunch of sweaty people with a beer in your hand. I don't even drink beer... but this album kinda makes me want to. "A Real Man" is a breathless, rocking litany of all the shit you get to hear from drunken rednecks, with a chorus of what I am politely proclaiming.

Call The Doctor, 1996. "Call the Doctor", "Stay Where You Are", "Good Things"
Again, a great album for wishing you were dancing among a throng of people. "Stay Where You Are" and "Good Things" are catchy to sing along to, and you can feel what she's feeling. Or at least you feel like you might be able to feel the same thing she can feel. I am now banned from the word "feel".

Dig Me Out, 1997. "One More Hour", "Turn It On", "Dance Song '97"
Oh man, got caught dancing like an idiot to this album. My girlfriend was on video camera and I thought she was reading something while I danced to my headphones. Nope. She saw me dancing like a fool.

The Hot Rock, 1999. "The End of You", "Banned From the End of the World", "Memorize Your Lines"
This is when I noticed, I mean sat down and paid close attention to, the way their voices intertwine- a nice quiet singing voice actually stands out far more than the usual shout-singing that graces most of the tracks, and it plays with your ears. Which I love.

All Hands on the Bad One, 2000. "The Ballad of a Ladyman", "All Hands on the Bad One", "You're No Rock 'n Roll Fun"
I have nothing to say that wouldn't be repetitive, so click the song links and dance, bitch. Especially "All Hands on the Bad One".

One Beat, 2002. "One Beat", "Oh!", "Funeral Song", "Prisstina"I really really  love "Oh!". I am dancing in my seat to it right now. Again. And again.

The Woods, 2005. "Wilderness", "What's Mine Is Yours", "Jumpers"
Oh man, I wasn't going to make "Jumpers" a favorite, but then I heard it, and suddenly it was my absolute favorite. I guess I wasn't listening all the other times.

Well, that's Sleater-Kinney, and my god do I love this band. Their sound doesn't differ much from album to album, though you could say they get a little more commercial with the last two albums. I love that I can click to any song and find something I can dance to. I did a lot of dancing, and between the grungy guitar and snarky lyrics, the songs end up kinda... sexy. I don't know how, but they pull it off.