Sleater-Kinney gets punky on their latest
By DAVID HARTWIG
Scene Music Critic
Music snobs love to predict what the next big hit band or hit song will be. But sometimes this bragging is justified. This is the case with the band Sleater-Kinney. A music critic can't help but brag about them. Once described as a cross between Metallica and the Indigo Girls, this indie band's latest album One Beat just plain rocks.
Probably the best-kept secret to come out of the "grunge rock-Seattle-coffee shop-garage band-Generation X" music movement of the early `90s, Sleater-Kinney plays on the little-known Kill Rock Stars record label. With 8-plus years of experience together and five previous albums, this is a female punk band that shows true maturity (Blink-182 was also once said to be maturing as a group, but "maturity" when used to describe Sleater-Kinney is not meant to be a hyperbole.)
In the two years since their last album, the trio has (respectively) had a baby, gone back to school and recorded a side project with a husband. They've been busy. And they are also pushing the limits of what punk can really be, taking the genre beyond whining about corporate rockers selling out and the troubles of white suburban Americans. There are still plenty of "in your face" anti-sexist, non-conformist lyrics, but there are also punk-ballads (if there is such a thing) like "Faraway" expressing the bond between a mother and her new child, while simultaneously tackling every artist's favorite new subject: September 11th.
The rockin' ladies experiment on a few tracks with different instrumentation, but they retain their two guitar and drums sound and feel throughout most of the album. Loyal fans who fear change will be pleased. They also test out some slightly new sounds, going softer on some songs and as hard-core as ever and then some on others. There is a little Ramones influence on songs like "Oh!" and a good deal more classic metal influence reminiscent of The Who and Led Zeppelin's earlier stuff. And there isn't a better tribute to Janis Joplin than the lead vocals on this album. There's even some Motown influence in the back-up vocals.
Sleater-Kinney is Carrie Brownstein on lead vocals and guitar, Corin Tucker on guitar and back-up vocals and Janet Weiss on the percussion instruments. They still live in the Pacific Northwest and if the Midwest is lucky, they'll tour through here at some point soon.
P.S. If the album is bought soon, it comes complete with a limited edition release of an EP with two additional songs – "Off With Your Head" and "Lions and Tigers." This comes highly recommended.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, October 1, 2002
