Customer Reviews

All Hands on the Bad One

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's been a fun ride over the past few years, watching the evolution of Sleater-Kinney from a fairly standard riot grrrl group (still, it was always easy to spot the talent) to the absolute indie pop rock masters they are today. And here's the really amazing thing about Sleater-Kinney: their sound isn't all that revolutionary. There's a lot of Sonic Youth in here, and at times Carrie's Rickenbacker gives the songs a strange R.E.M./Pylon feel. So, no, they're not reinventing the wheel, but they play with such passion that you can't help but take notice. Janet's one of the best drummers around, Carrie's easily my favorite guitarist today and Corin-- Ah, Corin-- she just wraps her voice around words, turning them inside out, twisting two syllable words into six. They just compliment each other perfectly...

The lyrics have improved with each album an not coincidentally it seems like each album has been better than the last (although I still count The Hot Rock as my favorite S-K album). All Hands On The Bad One has all the feel of that last warm-up album before all hell breaks loose and Sleater-Kinney takes over the entire country the way Nirvana did in the early 90's. Maybe that's too much pressure to put on them, but All Hands proves they may be ready for it. It expands on the pop hooks they've honed over Dig Me Out and The Hot Rock, adding hand claps and more harmonies and, in the process, coming dangerously close to Veruca Salt territory on pop gems like You're No Rock In Roll Fun, the title track, and Leave You Behind.

Other highlights (for me): The sexy Milkshake n Honey building to a knee-quivering climax, the relentless Ironclad asking the musical question "What would you kill to make a heart stand still?", the social #1 Must Have lamenting today's music culture ("Watch me make up my mind instead of my face"), and the near-lullaby The Swimmer which is the most fragile song S-K has ever recorded, with the possible exceltion of The Hot Rock's The Size Of Our Love.

You know, I hope my enthusiasm for Sleater-Kinney has come across in this review. We're really witnessing something pretty special here, folks. Don't miss it.

There's a big difference between taking risks and indulging weaknesses, and Sleater-Kinney spend their fifth album dodging more bullets than you're comfortable with from the best band in rock.

They've always written too much about music and their place in it, and this time they overload with a half-dozen self-referential harangues about feminism in rock. The musical setting they choose all but abandons the deliberacy of 1999's awesomely strange The Hot Rock -- a few notable exceptions aside, this is a return to their riot grrrl roots, no less powerful but a bit less ambitious.

So the gods of disaster began sharpening their knives. But All Hands on the Bad One is not a disaster or even a misstep. It's actually one more step forward for a great band that hasn't stopped improving yet.

The trick is that Sleater-Kinney has indeed learned from The Hot Rock. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker came of age then as guitarists, weaving in and out of each other's path with no bass player to mediate, and their playing on All Hands is wonderfully nonlinear. Some songs are relay races ("Ironclad"); others are tangles (the exquisite "Was it a Lie?" and the shimmery "The Swimmer"). Double-jointed guitar breaks that were fun at half the speed last time are thrilling now.

Both guitarists benefit from the sharpest production of their career, but not as much as drummer Janet Weiss -- with more room in the mix, she's more than ever the pivot, finding creative ways to shape the beat no matter how abruptly Brownstein and Tucker shift. Like Charlie Watts or Dave Grohl, she's the rare drummer who can give a tune body, even one as breakneck as the title track.

Tucker's singing shows the most growth. Now that she's mixing more real-life pain (as opposed to rock-song pain) into her lyrics, she's unlocking new range and nuance in her voice -- you can actually hear her shift gears from calm to crazy. On paper, "Youth Decay" could be about oral hygiene, teen angst or maybe bulimia, but on record, Tucker adds the possibility of incest just by swooping into the line, "Daddy says I got my mama's mouth."

Tucker's increasing skill as a multilayered songwriter is undercut by her more polemic moments. There's nothing wrong with her rage against corporate image control -- in fact, I'm with her -- but her overtly feminist rants are aimed at the wrong targets in the wrong arena. Such screeds as "Male Model" ("You always measure me by him") are so personal they seem to indict Tucker's immediate community -- an indie world that long ago accepted Sleater-Kinney's musical ability regardless of gender and that has never seen more women playing key roles in good bands. And it's never flattering for a band to brag on record that it won't sell out, especially one with bigger issues on its mind.

Smart reformers should aim higher. Tucker would do better asking why teen girls made a comeback as a pop commodity less than five years after the media declared a women's revolution in music. Maybe Tucker could even ask her male fans -- she's got plenty.

The only two mediocre tracks on All Hands are the preachiest one and the dumbest parody. If you have more tolerance for base awareness than I do, they won't drag down the album. Me, I started playing this record over and over once I realized that my misgivings couldn't keep the songs from rattling around my head all day. For all its shortcomings, this is still an album a best band in rock can be proud of.

Terrific, dynamic and fun album. Sort of a culmination of their last three albums... Some songs confrontational like "Call the Doctor", others emotional, propulsive releases like much of "Dig Me Out" (still probably my favorite), and still others resemble the more reflective pieces of "The Hot Rock"... great sounding stuff, and much better mixed/engineered then the slightly washed out sound of "Hot Rock" to these ears. Great fusion of elements...which is partly what makes this band appealing in the first place. Corin Tucker's lead vocals are all over the place, being more seemingly playful than usual. First song, "Ballad of Ladyman", sets the mood perfectly: both coy and explosive, direct and wayward, with a great driving riff that comes together for a memorable finale (in less than three minutes?). Love this band, and after three listens, love this album. Another potential pop/punk masterwork from S-K.

Sleater Kinney challenge and entertain on every release. They're one of the few artists that I anxiously wait for, and I haven't been disappointed. On first listen, The Hot Rock didn't have the driving power of Dig Me Out, but then I was fascinated by its twists and turns and complex structures. On first listen, All Hands... seemed to miss that complexity, but then I fell in love with the songs and was struck by the new and varied narrative voices and the spin on trad pop devices. Great, fun stuff.

I don't know what to say about this band that hasn't already been said. With 1997's "Dig Me Out," Sleater-Kinney were admitted into an increasingly elite circle of indie/punk artists whose critical acclaim and extremely vocal fanbase was matched by their musical promise. Being a critical darling is tough enough without the added complications of hipster fickleness, punk rock politics, and a public still insisting, even quietly, that women in music belong in high heels and bustiers or in the center of the self-indulgent acoustic group-grope that is the Lillith Fair. Three years later, following 1999's disjointed "Hot Rock," Sleater-Kinney ditches experimentation for what seems at first blush, an extremely tight, unapologetic punk rock record. This is a fine synopsis, but despite catchiness and erstwhile declarations in "Ballad of a Lady Man" of "I gotta rock . . ," "All Hands On The Bad One" offers more than just power chords and grrrl anger. What separates S-K from the vast majority of their post-riot grrrl peers (and in fact, many of their labelmates) is their reluctance to sacrifice increased musical prowess for a affected ineptitude and the paired down aesthetic that subverts any real lasting impression on listening public. It is the fullness of "All Hands on the Bad One," the subtle complications in simple sounding songs, and the very fact that Sleater-Kinney has matured technically that makes this album so unique. There's a fairly even balance of tongue in cheek rock songs--"You're No Rock and Roll Fun," "All Hands On The Bad One," to slighty more politicized material "Was It A Lie?" And a couple of highly infectious tunes ("The Professional") that may owe more to Elastica than Bikini Kill. It's hard to find fault here. If you're looking complicated, feminine rock and roll, repeated listenings to this record can significantly decrease damage done by the insipid warbles of boring Lillithites everwhere. I double dare you not to get chills when Corin Tucker asks, in "Ballad of a Lady Man," if she's "breaking you apart." This is the best thing I've heard in a very long time.

This is S-K's no-apologies full-scale rock and/or roll album. With no excuses, no whining, and just a modicum of self-righteous girlband indignation, our favorite ladymen rip through a just-right set of tracks that has them sounding as close to power-pop as (we can hope) they'll ever get. While it largely lacks the breadth and emotional punch of their work up this release, AHOTBO shows off how much fun Tucker & co. can have without even trying. Their themes do get a little worn by the end, but every one of these songs is a catchy little masterpiece in its own right. Not their best work, but a good introduction to S-K for those who might not usually like this sound.

Sleater-Kinney are the definition of "rock 'n roll" fun. Throughout each of their albums, they maintain that certain level of visceral energy and vigor. And "All Hands On The Bad One" is no exception. Straight-forward and uncompromising, "All Hands On The Bad One" find Sleater-Kinney developing unique melodies and fashioning inventive guitar riffs. But perhaps the most surprising thing on "All Hands On The Bad One" is Sleater-Kinney's songwriting which has improved immensely. Attacking society's stereotypes and inequalities, but still maintaining a level-headedness without getting over-preachy, Sleater-Kinney are still fun as hell to listen to. "The Hot Rock" was an excellent direction for Sleater-Kinney and reflections of ever-aspring growth are shown on "All Hands On The Bad One". Fun, rollicking anthems like "You're No Rock n' Roll Fun" and the title track are immediately catchy. Others require repeated listenings and like all S-K records, slowly the melodies creep over you. "The Ballad of a Ladyman", "#1 Must Have", "Was It A Lie?", and "Leave You Behind" are notable gems in another solid effort by Sleater-Kinney.

For me, AHOTBO is Sleater-Kinney's least interesting album - but Sleater-Kinney at their least interesting is still occasionally a revelation.

There are a few great songs here. The twisted girly cheekiness of "Youth Decay", for instance, develops into full-blown deranged horror by the end of the song - but unfortunately, the danger of that moment just highlights the smoothed-over complacency of the rest of the album.

I originally fell in love with Sleater-Kinney because of their unstable energy, that live-fuse dynamic embodied in the best moments of joy on "Dig Me Out" and rage on "Call the Doctor." AHOTBO only achieves this kind of brilliance momentarily; you can hear it in moments, tucked away beneath the bland veneer of over-production and that sinking sense that they've digested the tonne of glowing rock criticism that's been written about them and now believe vague lyrics alluding to ladymen constitute cultural analysis.

Still, AHOTBO, when it stops pondering its own significance, is a pretty good album. "Was It a Lie?" is sad, timely and perfect; "#1 Must Have" is pretty impassioned; and Sleater-Kinney-Being-Goofy songs like "Milkshake 'n Honey" are kind of fun - or at least, they'll do until Sleater-Kinney become truly inspired again (on One Beat.)

I'd sort of heard about Sleater-Kinney, that they were supposed to be good, and I'd thought about getting one of their CDs, but I was skeptical for some reason. About a month ago I saw this and decided to pick it up. I was in love after the first song, and it just kept getting better. I'm still in shock at how good this CD is and how amazing this band is. It's like everything you wished rock and roll could be but knew it never would be again. They've restored my faith in the music of the 90s and the new century.

This is an album I would recommend to absolutely anyone. The production values are great--the sound is crisp and clean. The songs are amazing--beautiful, fierce, inventive. Ballad of a Ladyman is a great rock song with lovely harmonies-it swings. Ironclad is classic punk. All Hands on the Bad One gives more amazing singalong harmonies. Acid Tooth brings out the fury in the lead singer's voice, it's fast and furious with a brilliantly drawn out climax vocal at the end. You're No Rock and Roll Fun is actually a whole lot of rock and roll fun. #1 Must Have is probably my favorite song on the album, with it's charging rock guitar, intense vocals and political lyrics--"will there always be concerts where women are seduced, watch me make up my mind instead of my face, the #1 must have is that we are safe" & "well I think that I sometimes might have wished for something more than to be a size 6, but now my inspiration rests in between my beauty magazines and my credit card bills." The Professional is another punky number with some great harmonies. Was it a Lie is one of the more beautifully sung, melodic tunes, and it's haunting, dealing with violence against women ("a women's pain never private always seen"). Male Model is another blast of feminist fury. Leave You Behind is unimaginably beautiful, with some of the most inventive vocal harmonies I've ever heard. Milkshake & Honey is another favorite (a minor distinction on a record where nearly every song is a favorite), with it's unique rhythm, and fabulous vocal attitude. Pompeii has some wonderful harmonies as well. The Swimmer is the slowest song on the album, but it's definitely not a ballad, it's just this completely unique, completely haunting and lovely song with such a strong vocal and more breathtaking harmonies backing it up.

Keith Richards once said that most rock and roll forgets about the roll---this is a record that has definitely remembered the roll. This record rocks, it swings, it's beautiful, it's haunting, and it's fun. I've been listening to it obsessively since I bought it and I had to go get more Sleater-Kinney albums. I sound incredibly gushy, but it's all deserved. All Hands on the Bad One is a fantastic and fun album, and Sleater-Kinney is a great band.

They rock, they play fast, hard and well, they have tons of 'tude (in that and practically nothing else they are like Jason and the Scorchers), they are nobody's victim, they assert their independence, their uncertainties and their confidence in every cut, and they are great to dance to -- for whatever age. In other words, the music that Sleater-Kinney produces is everything that has been best about rock since Elvis took the stage on Ed Sullivan years ago and, rooted in sources both black and bluegrass, reinvented popular music. And if that's not enough to sell you on this CD, Sleater-Kinney and their record company price CDs at considerably below the ridiculous stratospheric numbers most companies and performers are demanding today. Buy it today and strike a blow for rock and consumers everywhere.