Last weekend, I saw Sleater-Kinney in concert. I tried to do the math and it’s somewhere between the 7th and 10th time I’ve seen them live, and that’s way more than any other band performing these days. Suffice it to say that they are my favorite band, and they did not disappoint yet again, putting on a tremendous show. The music, vocals, lighting and sound were all on point and it was just so fun to see them again absolutely killing it on stage.
Now, some of you are nodding because you agree that S-K is fantastic, and others of you have heard OF them, but not listened to them, and the rest of you are wondering what the heck I’m talking about.
This post is not really meant to be a full introduction and discussion of Sleater-Kinney, a band that’s been around for almost 30 years. The two leads of the band, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein (who many of you would recognize as “that woman from Portlandia”) comprise 2/3 of the trio, which was previously filled out by Janet Weiss on drums, who unfortunately left (or was fired) before Path of Wellness came out in 2021 and I’m still not over it. Weiss was (and still is) a tremendous drummer and the cohesion of the band was one thing I really loved but the new drummer seems to be a good fit, especially with the latest album, Little Rope. I really, really like that release and I can’t say that as much about the prior two albums.
And of course, this made me think that it’s time to definitively rank all the Sleater-Kinney albums. Beware as this is about as fanboy as I get about most anything.
A caveat, of course – this doesn’t include their live release, or the anniversary release of Dig Me Out featuring covers of that album by other artists, or their debut eponymous release, which is MUCH more punk rock than anything else they’ve released and while I do enjoy it, it somewhat seems like a different band altogether.
S-Tier: Dig Me Out
A-Tier: Call The Doctor, The Hot Rock, All Hands On The Bad One
B-Tier: One Beat, The Woods, Little Rope, No Cities To Love
C-Tier: The Center Won’t Hold, Path of Wellness
(I still don’t understand why the tiers start with S, but let’s just go with it.)
One more VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT: I am in no way a music writer or really “understand” music in any important way except maybe the most important, which is I like what I like. OK. So stated.
Let’s work from bottom to top as we go through this.
Path of Wellness (2021)
This release came and went for me, and I recently gave it another shot and … I just cannot. It’s not bad. But it’s boring, and I thankfully cannot say that about any other album by this band. Given the departure of drummer Janet Weiss just weeks before this came out, I have to think the vibes were … bad. And it shows.
The Center Won’t Hold (2019)
The title track is actually great – and seeing them perform it in person last weekend really drove home how explosive it gets towards the end. There are a few other bangers in here, and it’s clearly better than what follows. (It also has such a great album cover, a trend that is true for many S-K cover art.)
No Cities To Love (2015)
This album marked the return of S-K who ten years prior had broken up. It was a shock in the best possible way and it’s hard to think of a way they could let you know that they were back then the opening song “Price Tag” which absolutely makes a statement with how emphatic and assertive it is. I read someone saying it’s the best opening track on any of their albums and I can’t disagree. While there are a few songs that don’t quite hit, other tracks like “A New Wave,” “Bury Our Friends” and “No Anthems” more than make up for it.
Little Rope (2023)
The latest release is quite simply a return to form from a band that stumbled with Path of Wellness. The main single, “Say It Like You Mean It” absolutely rocks in every sense of the word, including some moments for Corin to belt out the chorus with her shriekingly beautiful voice, while other songs like “Dress Yourself,” “Hunt You Down, ” “Small Finds,” and “Untidy Creature” all sound like they’ve been in the S-K canon for years. If anything, I’m worried I’ve ranked this too low.
The Woods (2005)
When this album came out, we didn’t know it would be the last album for a decade, and I admit at first I thought it was … pretty good. It’s aged like fine wine, and while there are one or two songs I think are just okay, it simply doesn’t get better than “Jumpers” to “Modern Girl” to “Entertain,” three of the best songs S-K has ever written (and performed live are absolute crowd pleasers.) Somehow, “Modern Girl” is the most popular song of theirs and it’s VERY much a Sleater-Kinney song at its core being deceptively sweet sounding with some deep cutting lyrics and guitar.
One Beat (2002)
Written in the aftermath of 9/11, this is as political as S-K gets – or at least as directly political. “Far Away” is quite literally about watching the events of 9/11 unfold and wondering what the world is about, and why “the president hides while working men rush in and give their lives.” The song “Combat Rock” (which, yeah, I’m gonna love the nod to The Clash) asks “Where is the questioning? Where is the protest song? Since when is skepticism un-American?” And yet, songs like “Step Aside” are just punk-pop anthems that are almost hard NOT to dance to. At one point Corin sings, “Janet, Carrie can you feel it? Ladies one time, can you hear it?” and it just is so … happy, even though the lyrics are just as direct as any others:
When violence rules the world outside
And the headlines make me want to cry
It’s not the time to just keep quiet
Speak up one time to the beat
“O2” is a driving rock song that could and should be an anthem for fans. “Prisstina” is a classic cutesty sounding S-K song with lyrics that will stop you in your tracks. I’ve seen others rank One Beat lower in their rankings and I honestly can’t understand why. It’s an absolute banger.
All Hands On The Bad One (2000)
From the opening track, “The Ballad of a Ladyman” - a song that pokes fun at a manager who (jokingly?) referred to women musicians as such - to other songs like “Male Model,” and “You’re No Rock N Roll Fun,” the band is calling out stereotypes and misogyny that is so pervasive in entertainment - but most importantly, doing it with incredible punk pop chords and choruses. I think this picture of Corin’s shirt saying “Show Me Your Riffs” instead of, well, you know …. that says a lot:
This album jumped back into a punkier sound from the prior release, which we’ll get to … now
The Hot Rock (1999)
Their third major release (if you consider releases on small labels like Kill Rock Stars major, which I do), The Hot Rock was a left turn from their prior two more punk albums. This is actually the first album I listened to when it came out, and then found…well, the other two albums I still haven’t gotten to yet. (Spoiler alert, presumably.) If “Price Tag” off of ONE BEAT is the best opening track as I stated earlier, “Start Together” is a close second. It starts slowly and then explodes with a deep guitar and Corin’s howling chorus. The sound is richer and deeper than their prior almost tinny garage band sound, and it tells you that you’re in for something quite different. And while that sound continues on songs like “The End of You,” “God Is a Number” and others, the album contains true melodies like “The Hot Rock,” “Burn, Don’t Freeze,” “Don’t Talk Like” and “The Size of Our Love.” And “Get Up” might be the most danceable song they’ve ever released, something they specifically talk about wanting to include on each release. God, I love this album.
Call The Doctor (1996)
Technically their second studio album, as discussed it’s sort of the first as a dedicated band, and it’s easily the rawest, most punk album I still listen to regularly. Apparently, it was written in three weeks and recorded in la handful of days. It formed the bands structure of two guitars and no bass. Songs like the title track, “Little Mouth” and “Anonymous” are brutal with the lyrics and music, but their skill already shines through - this isn’t just two punk rock kids, it’s two musicians (plus their drummer, who would soon be replaced) who are showing off their skills as they develop them. “Good Things” is one of my favorite songs, a somehow beautiful tune about the pain of a breakup. And one of their more famous songs, the snarky “I Want To Be Your Joey Ramone” is not only a GREAT song in terms of its music and lyrics, but it unintentionally became prescient as both Corin and Carrie because the Joey Ramone and Thurston Moore to hundreds or more of young kids listening to their music and going to their shows.
I wanna be your Thurston Moore
Wrestle on the bedroom floor
Always leave you wanting more
Throw away those old records
Go downtown
Put on your best frown
Give me a chance
I know I can dance
I wanna be your Joey Ramone
Pictures of me on your bedroom door
Invite you back after the show
I'm the queen of rock and roll
The opening band at the Warfield (Palehound, who were … fine) basically acknowledged that they grew up worshipping Sleater-Kinney. While these lyrics are intentionally sarcastic, they also forecast the future.
Dig Me Out (1997)
And we’ve hit the S-Tier. This album is so good, so vital, that an entire cover album came out in 2022 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The cover itself is a reference to a Kinks album, perhaps a nod that this isn’t just a ‘garage band’ effort like the truly excellent Call The Doctor.
That said, they took a few months to write this and a few more to record it, and that’s pretty damn fast for this masterpiece.
There is simply not a bad song on the album, from the opening title track to “One More Hour” and “Words and Guitar” so many of the songs are anthems on their own. (One More Hour is more explicitly about the breakup between Carrie and Corin, and somehow is both painful and joyous.) “Dance Song ‘97” is exactly what it sounds like. The earlier shows I saw all tended to include “Little Babies” which is a true singalong pop punk masterpiece. I can’t say nearly enough about how brilliant this album is. Pitchfork later described it this way:
Dig Me Out explored being present with your anger as a woman in a world where men constantly expect you to be submissive and sweet. It was also about heartbreak: about breaking up with your girlfriend and then having her sing backup vocals on the song you wrote about her.
At one point during the show last weekend, Carrie walked over to Corin while she belted out lyrics and, as Carrie continued to play guitar, leaned her head over and rested it on Corin’s shoulder. The crowd roared (or at least everyone around me did) because their relationship as friends is the crux of the actual band at this point, and seeing that connection as they crunched the guitar and sung out at top volume … well, that was what everyone was there for. Sleater-Kinney continues to deliver some of the best rock music on the planet.
I love that you love Sleater-Kinney so much. Not sure I like them as much as you - wait, no. I KNOW I do not, but I do like them. And their band name is top 5, of all band names.
Beyond this, I still always hear this old chestnut in my head when I read about bands:
Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.
You know how much I love Sleater-Kinney. They are one of my favorite bands. A few years ago my wife had a custom chefs knife made for me and the handle’s material includes a piece of a cymbal from one of their shows and vinyl from one of their records.
My favorite songs have always been Heart Factory from Dig Me Out and Hollywood Ending (Janet’s finest moment and a perfectly in sync band at the height of their powers). Hell from the new one is REALLY fucking good and when I heard that I was like, oh shit, they are back!
(It’s not that I didn’t like No Cities to Love, The Center Won’t Hold, and Path of Wellness, they just didn’t seem like Sleater-Kinney records, if that makes sense.)
As I write this, another dozen songs come into my head and I realize this might be a fool’s errand for me. I still listen to the first seven records ALL THE TIME and my favorites shift based on circumstance and mood. A guitar lick or a lyric will pop into my head and I just gotta listen to it and then I end up listening to the whole album. I’m still hooked all these years later.
They also created for me an affinity for female-forward bands (Spotify’s algorithms are deeply in tune with this) and I find myself drawn to bands clearly influenced by SK. Check out Ride Your Heart by Bleached and Wet Leg’s eponymous album - Chaise Longue is as addictive as anything I’ve heard in a long time. I’ve got dozens of other examples (Alvvays, Big Thief, Cherry Glazerr, Dum Dum Girls, Black Honey, Courtney Barnett, Tennis, and of course the truly phenomenal Heartless Bastards).
I should probably just make a playlist, like a sensible person.