Sleater-Kinney
It's gotta be tough for bands that are the critic's darlings but can't sell enough CDs to become ubiquitous. They watch others, usually with less talent or vision, score big. It eats away at you. Life can get grim playing cramped clubs with narrow stages. Places where the dressing room is the third stall on the left. Many bands faced with such a fate unplug and call it quits. So you really have to admire groups that stick it out. One such band is Sleater-Kinney, named after a freeway off-ramp in Olympia, Washington, the group's hometown.
As sometimes happens, Sleater-Kinney formed as a side project. Singer/guitarist Corin Tucker was one half of the duo Heavens To Betsy. Seeing the Bikini Kill/Bratmobile influenced Heavens To Betsy, in all its riot grrrl glory, inspired classically trained pianist, turned guitarist, Carrie Brownstein to form Excuse 17. In '94 Tucker and Brownstein launched Sleater-Kinney with drummer Lora MacFarlane. A self-titled debut came out a few months later on the Chainsaw label and received widespread acclaim for its intensity and politically charged songs. "Call The Doctor," the group's '96 release, also won critic's praise for their rants against gender inequity - especially in the indie Rock arena. '97's "Dig Me Out" saw a couple changes. The group moved to the Kill Rock Stars label and picked up drummer Janet Weiss. "The Hot Rock" arrived in '99 with "All Hands On The Bad One" coming out a year later. Still aces with the critics and a cadre of loyal fans Sleater-Kinney seemed poised for a breakthrough with one of their best albums, "One Beat." But no, they remained on the peripheral.
After recording for seven years, and despite consistently showing up in local and national magazines, it looked as though Sleater-Kinney was going to remain a well kept secret. A chance meeting led to being signed by Seattle's Sub-Pop label, one time home of Nirvana. In '05 the group released "The Woods."
The truth is, all those kudos Sleater-Kinney received from critics were well deserved. "One Beat" with "Hollywood Ending" and "All Hands On The Bad One" featuring "Youth Decay" are a cut above. But you really can't go wrong with Sleater-Kinney's sharp, smart, high energy Rock.
The critics who supported the band for years raised concerns about "The Woods." Namely, they feared S-K had changed their sound to curry favor with a larger audience. This sometimes happens when a group moves to a new (larger) label or wants to build up their 401k account. But Sleater-Kinney sounds essentially the same though a little less frantic and a little more accessible. Is that good? Bad? It all comes down to how the listener feels about the group's earlier efforts.
"The Woods" has spirited Rocker "Rollercoaster." There's also the strident yet effective "Night Light" and the dense "Steep Air."