Punk cover for punk music
Sleater-Kinney are coming to my town on March 5th and I can’t go. On an impulse I bought tickets to see Michael Gira (Swans, Angels of Light) perform a solo show on the same night. I’m not saying that I regret my purchase I just wish that the concerts could be on separate nights so that I could witness both performances. Recorded in Australia, this is the self titled debut for American band Sleater-Kinney and it is a raw and DIY listening experience. Lasting just 22 minutes, the band manages to squeeze 10 tracks into this run time, the majority under 2 minutes.
Opening track Don’t Think You Wanna sets the tone for the album and is high energy and introduces the listener to Corin Tucker’s shrill vocal style. The transitions from the quiet verses to the loud choruses gives this song a real Pixies vibe. Second track, The Day I Went Away features dual vocals and has some great riffing in the chorus. The bridge of this song is great and I wish it went for slightly longer before breaking back into the chorus.
There is an anger that is transmitted throughout the songs found on this album. The twin guitar approach of this band manages to convey this emotion through the contrasting melodic verses and aggressive, power chord verses. The lack of bass guitar doesn’t seem to detract from the bands sound in the slightest. The guitar tones in the chorus of Her Again matches the aggression in Corin Tucker’s vocals perfectly and highlights the experience found in the band members. Corin Tucker was a member of influential Riot Grrrl band Heavens to Betsy and Carrie Brownstein came from the band Excuse 17.
Be Yr Mama features one of the more melodic riffs found on the album, which snakes around the solid rhythm guitars chugging chords. Sold Out is pure aggression for its entire 1.16 runtime and features some great drumming from Lora MacFarlane. Slow Song is exactly what its title implies. Slower and more melodic than the majority of the songs on the album it is welcome respite from the intense and focused aggression found throughout the album. Lora’s Song continues this vibe and features vocals from their drummer. I enjoy the riffs throughout this song and Lora’s vocals are a calm contrast to those of Corin and Carrie.
The anger and emotions found in the final song Last Song are encapsulated in the tortured screams of Carrie found in the chorus. A suitable album closer, this is one of the best songs on the album and it sums up a lot of what the listener has heard in the previous tracks. Listening to this track and reflecting on the rest of the album I feel recording these songs must have been a cathartic experience for the band. The topics found in the lyrics and the multitude of emotions conveyed can’t have been easy to summon whilst recording.
For me the only downside of this album is the track listing. Having the two slow songs on the album next to each other slows the end of the album down. I would have broken up Slow Song and Lora’s Song; put one in the first half of the album and one near the end. Doing this would have given the album a more focused feel and allowed the listener to properly digest the more aggressive tracks found throughout.
This is a very strong debut from Sleater-Kinney and finds the band coming out of the gate with some of their most aggressive and in your face songs. The short runtime definitely means that this album is all killer no filler and not a second is wasted. Later on in their discography the band would move away from this aggression and introduce other elements and instruments into their song writing, but to me this remains one of their strongest efforts.
Rating: 4.0/5
Buy: http://sleaterkinney.kungfustore.com/music-206/sleater-kinney-lp.html
Listen to if: You enjoy punk music or 90s alternative or even Lo-Fi
Reminds me of: Pixies, Sonic Youth, Sebadoh, Wire
Favourite Tracks: Don’t Think You Wanna, Her Again, Slow Song, Lora’s Song, Last Song
Least Favourite Tracks: n/a
James Reviews 