Hi. After listening to their newest release, One Beat, I think I have come to the conclusion that SK is the band that most epitomizes “rock and roll” for me. There is no way I could classify them as “punk” anymore, not even “punk-ish”. They left that behind, I think, after Call the Doctor. But this most recent effort has just been blowing me away big time.
What a band, what a band…
I bought ‘The Hot Rock’ because all the critics were losing their minds over it, and I just don’t get it. There’s a couple of tracks I dig, but for the most part it all sounds extremely monotonous to me. Is there a particular track you think should blow my mind?
I have two of their CDs; if the new one’s as good as you say I’ll have to check it out. I have a certain loyalty to them since they’re from my old college town, but I can’t help laughing a bit when I remember where their name comes from.
Where does it come from?
Oh, “One Beat” is way more rock-and-roll than The Hot Rock (which was good, too, but I don’t think in the same way, and I think the critics went too far gushing over that one).
I have always enjoyed SK, but this is the first release since Call The Doctor that I’ve really just been blown away by.
Robot Arm, wasn’t it some street intersection or something? I keep hearing that, but then I think I remember hearing that that was debunked, and now I’m all confused.
Ah, good-ol’ Sleater-Kinney Road in sparkling Lacey, Washington. I had a landlord who lived on Sleater-KinneyÑI remember smelling the landfill at Hawk’s Prarie from her place.
I used to live near Black Lake in Tumwater, and remember back in the day when Kurt and the boys lived in Olympia and played bad covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival tunes in dorms at The Evergreen State College.
One Beat is an incredible album. I think it took some guts to be political in a subgenre (indie rock) that has never looked kindly on that sort of thing. But that’s what makes them the “industry leaders”, I guess. They don’t seem all together comfortable with it, but it’s hard to make music that’s political and timeless at the same time.
They’re opening for Pearl Jam this spring, and I’m going to do my damndest to see a show.
I love S-K! I am seeing them on Friday and am so glad to have this opportunity to lord it over all of you. Any other Angelenos going?
Sleater-Kinney is an exit off the freeway, IIRC.
I’ve seen them, and like them, but don’t really get why they’re supposed to be so fantastic. Our (Portland, OR) local alt-weeklie paper ran a story about them a few months ago, slating them as “The best Portland band ever”. Keeping in mindthat they aren’t really from Portland, it irked a heck of a lot of people right off. One of them (not sure which one) is supposed to be teaching at a day music camp for girls this summer that I’m also teaching at, though. That ought to be cool.
I bought one of their CDs after hearing it being played at a music store. I like their music, although not as a steady diet.
I could live on Sleater-Kinney and water. I’ve loved each successive album more than the last. I really admire the unabashed political tones, and that ‘on the edge of hysteria’ voice of Corin’s is really appealing to me.
Yum.
-Kody