Customer Reviews

Woods (Bonus Dvd)

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Corin Tucker who wanted to be our Joey Ramone. But Sleater-Kinney's six studio albums, while winning over critics from coast to coast, have landed the girls on surprisingly few bedroom doors. So what are three riot grrrls to do on number seven?

Crank the amps up to 11.

"The Woods" is a primal scream of an album, a cathartic burst of animal fury, with angry harmonies and growling guitars that sound like they've just come back from disobedience school. This isn't "One Beat", it's many beats, sometimes coming together in surging pulses of song, sometimes jangling against one another in an angry mess of cacophonous sludge. "If you're here 'cause you want to be entertained/Please go away," Corin sings on "Entertain", a well-aimed but slightly late kick at info-tainment, reality TV, 80s soundalike bands, and the endless run of nostalgia-based VH1 shows. (During last year's media orgy of 10-years-without-Nirvana stories, a critic lamented that Kurt Cobain never lived to write a song about reality TV. If he had, it might have sounded a lot like "Entertain".) It's a great summary of what superstardom looks like in 2005, and a declaration that the girls want no part of it.

No, they're after something else entirely, something raw and powerful and real, and if it occasionally feels like they're lost in "The Woods", you have to give them mad props for getting off the beaten path, with an album that confounds fan expectations in a manner reminiscent of "Monster" or "In Utero". Give them credit, too, for getting where they're going in the end; some of these songs are among the best they've written. "Jumpers" leaps off the disc on the first listen; it's a beautiful, harrowing, and angry suicide note as convincing as anything this side of Nick Drake. "Steep Air" is great, a wonderful guitar melody sludged up enough just enough to make it interesting, but then comes "Let's Call it Love", a great song that might have been even better if the super-heavy guitars weren't crushing the vocals. At times like this, David Fridmann's production gets a little annoying. Still, for the most part, it works--he gets the anger and energy of the group's live performances onto CD, and the segue from that song to the excellent closer "Night Light" is one of the highlights of this excellent album.

If you're just getting into the group, "One Beat" or "Dig Me Out" might be a safer place to start, but casual fans and die-hards (like myself) will still have a whole lot of fun exploring "The Woods." (If Amazon let me, I'd give it four-and-a-half stars.) Anyway, Corin, if you're listening, you don't have to be our Joey Ramone, or our Kurt Cobain. Just keep pouring your heart and soul into albums like this, and we'll all be living happily ever after.

THIS is the band that Sleater-Kinney was always destined to become.

I have been seriously listening to serious rock and roll since I was 5 years old - that's over 45 years - and I am not prone to exaggeration or hyperbole. This IS the GOOD STUFF! I have been listening to Sleater-Kinner off and on for about 3 years and have always suspected that they were capable of generating this kind of energy. But it seems to have all come together in the new SubPop release "The Woods".

First, a few disclaimers: (1) I consider S-K to be a "local" band (2) I have always liked the name (3) female drummers rule - Janet Weiss rules them all (4) I have a weakness for very strong-voiced female vocalists (e.g. I am excited by throaty, bluesy, hard rock vocals as performed by Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Melissa Ethridge, or Rickie Lee Jones). Ironically, I am not into lyrics - it is the fact that these vocalists add to the music with their voices and do not detract from it - that I like them.

All that being said, it is the raw energy in the drums and guitar work that put this album over the top. Don't get me wrong, Corin Tucker's vocals have plenty of energy - there were parts that reminded me of a cross between early Grace Slick (i.e. before Jefferson Airplane even) and Geddy Lee. But it is the guitar work and the presentation/arrangement of the songs that is transformational. For me, the record is building throughout until arriving at the last two songs: Track 9: "Let's Call It Love" and Track 10: "Night Light". There are several significant highlights along the way but listening to Let's Call It Love was akin to a spiritual experience for me.

I have used the word "transformational" several times and will use it some more because this album is transformational on several levels - both for the band and for me as a listener. There has been the obligatory discussion in the local print media, online, and on the local alternative rock stations about how this album represents a transformation for Sleater- Kinney as well as for Subpop. But that is not what I am talking about. I would like to predict that this album will be as transformational for S-K as Jimmy Hendrix's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival was supposed to have been. For me, as a listener, this album represents a return to the rock and roll energy that I experienced when I "came of age" as a hard rock listener in the 1968-1971 time frame - through the magic of San Francisco at the height of Bill Graham;s Filmore West,, Woodstock, the advent of Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Who, Big Brother, Jefferson Airplane, Jimmy Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple, and Black Sabboth. My musical tastes have evolved and I have recently enjoyed Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Audioslave, The Black Keys, and Modest Mouse - as well as an Indie "Power Blues" trio fronted by Sonny Moorman. These all give me enjoyment and are, at times, even exciting because of their energy and raw rock and roll. But this S-K album has reached back through time and tied it all together; filling a void that I did not realize was so large. It also transported me back in time to the time of those other bands that I mentioned from my youth. The 3rd track "What's Mine Is Yours"took me back to those unimaginable west coast concerts of the late `60s. The 4th track "Jumpers" somehow reminded me of the Bossa Nova craze of that time period even though it is not a Bossa Nova. (I hope I am not scaring anyone with this retro, prehistoric, talk - these were experiences that I had and were only meant to provide some perspective on the extent to which this album impressed me.)

When I first listened to the Queens of the Stone Age album "Songs for The Deaf" with Dave Grohl a few years ago I said "This is the band that the Foo Fighters COULD have been", meaning that they were not hampered by ballads and played only songs with high energy. Even Audioslave feels obligated to water down their sound with the occasional ballad although until today they were probably my favorite band. But when I listened to "The Woods", I knew that this was the band that S-K was destined to become. It all comes to a head in the 11 minute long (!) Track 9: "Let's Call It Love". From the opening guitar, which would make a young Ozzy Osborne fronted Black Sabboth proud, the guitar work in this song builds and builds until. I swear to God, in the 6th minute of the song Carrie Brownstein is channeling Jimmy Hendrix. And this leads to a finish that would make a young Pete Townsend quite proud. Just when you think "this can't get any better", the album segue's into Track 10 : "Night Light" which is perhaps not as personally spiritual as "Let's Call It Love", is still a fantastic finish to an album that continues to surprise throughout.

While this is the band that S-K was always destined to become, I can only imagine where they can go from here. I can't wait to find out. I just hope that they get the attention and the following that they deserve from the iPod generation that buys one track at a time and might miss the masterpiece that this album is as a whole. Frankly, it sucks that they are only opening for The White Stripes next month at The Gorge - S-K should be the headliners! I hope they're still kicking out the jams when Im 90.

UPDATE: 10/29/05 Some time has passed and I've had a chance to reflect more on this album. I have to say that I do listen to Audioslave much more than this album (both Audioslave albums) and if I were forced to pick between those albums and this one, I would probaby let this one go. And I have "rediscoverd" Primus and a number of Les Claypool's side projects which are also on my "top ten" for recent listening along with Ugly Casanova. However, this album still retains it initial appeal and excitement when I am in the mood for raw, driving rock energy. It is right in there with my Black Keys CDs (about once per week) and well worth the investment if that is what you aree looking for.

As much as I LOVE S-K, i just can't quite bring myself to give this 5 stars. They are still one of the best examples of rock music ever, but this album just doesn't quite measure up to 'One Beat' and 'Call the Doctor.' I was disapointed that I couldn't hear COrin and Carrie's screaming vocals so much because of the high distortion, spescially on 'The Fox,' which has some really awesome lyrics. If you are just starting to learn about Sleater-Kinney I would recommend One Beat instead.
Still, this album has it's good points, the songs are a refreashing break from the everyday pop-punk that inundates the punk genre. These strong women REALLY know how to rock.

Sleater-Kinney is perhaps the greatest rock band making music today. So why haven't you seen them on MTV, or gracing the walls of teeny-bopper's bedrooms? Oh...probably because they're serious musicians, they've never posed for Maxim, and they just so happen to have female genitalia in a patriarchal music industry. *Sigh*
On their seventh album, The Woods, SK proves their versatility once again with a sound that manages to be riff-heavy yet melodic, subtle yet brazen, traditionally rock yet completely unique. Within the first few seconds of the opening track "The Fox", it's quite evident from the ripping guitar of Carrie(ROCK GODDESS)Brownstein and the rich beats of drummer Janet Weiss (who would surely make Keith Moon's ghost stand up and do a little dance) that The Woods captures the spirit of what's been missing within the current mainstream "rock" scene. As vocalist/guitarist Corin Tucker belts out the first of her orgasmic screams, all memories of the lifeless pop-rock garage bands you've anguished through year-long run for their lives out the door, and you're once again reminded of what rock should sound like.
With darkly beautiful tracks like "Modern Girl" and "Steep Air", SK reveals the pretty side of chaos, yet never shys away from the unrestrained wild spirit of rock on such riff-laden tracks as "What's Mine is Yours", "Let's Call it Love" and "Rollercoaster". Songs such as the single "Jumpers", a final bow for the bridge-hopping suicide victims of San Francisco's beloved Golden Gate bridge, reveal the progression of Sleater-Kinney's lyrics, with beautifully painful imagery that is guaranteed to chill to the bone.
In short, should you buy The Woods? Yes. But be forewarned, it's like nothing you've ever heard before.

I'll be honest: I had not heard a lick of Sleater-Kinney until my cousin introduced me to them earlier this year when "The Woods" first arrived on record store shelves. And, truth be told, this latest album of theirs is the only one by them that I own. So, knowing that I am in no way a S-K expert, here goes:

This album's title is deceiving. To the listener who always makes connections between sight and sound (which I do), I assumed I was getting some real ethereal stuff here: night time music....the sort of thing I'd listen to while driving on a back country road on a quiet and starry night. Hell no.

The album's first track, "The Fox", is decidedly a heavy metal barnburner. The weight of it all (crunching guitar, seismic drumming, and wailing vocals) actually startled me when I first popped it in the CD player. The production of David Fridmann (uncharacteristically thick and oppressive on this record) makes sure that the vibe that got the album going continues for the duration. Other top quality songs like "The Wilderness" and "Entertain" feature similar textures and colors, though not to the same degree as "The Fox."

This music is messy and cathartic. It's abrasive and unruly. So why does this album work so well then? The band succeeds because they so effectively utilize what other musicians and bands cover up with slick production and showy technique: raw emotion. Love em or hate em, just listen to Corin Tucker's vocals....that's all you need to hear in order to get the message. The message of "The Woods" rings loud and clear throughout the album, and it's hard as hell to ignore. But then again, with music this intense, why would you want to?

For me, Sleater-Kinney has always been at their best when they have been at their most adventurous and experimental. "The Hot Rock" has long been my favorite album of theirs; subsequent discs, while still great, were more about consolidation than branching out.

"The Woods" is astonishing. It's both blisteringly loud and immensely tuneful; obscure and accessible; pummeling and exuberant. It's as unpredictable and offbeat as Wilco's "a ghost is born," but played with the fire of peak Led Zeppelin.

"The Fox" is a bracing opener and a sample of the incredible guitar and drum pyrotechnics to come. "Wilderness" and "What's Mine is Yours" meld the snaking, angular guitar lines longtime fans are used to with something new: expansive soloing. The mood of the album flows smoothly throughout from subdued ("Jumpers") to strident ("Entertain") to playful ("Modern Girl," "Rollercoaster") to foreboding ("Steep Air," "Night Light"). The explosive jam "Let's Call It Love" is so exciting that it seems to end way too soon, even at 11 minutes. All of the songs here are highlights!

I can't say enough about how surprising and amazing this album is. How many bands are this intensely creative seven albums into their career?

Corin Tucker's familiar "banshee wail" is in stunning effect here, and will probably continue to be a love-it-or-loathe-it proposition for potential new fans. But all I can say to those who have heard the hype but haven't yet checked out S-K is: Buy and experience this album. You will not be disappointed.

sleater kinney have been doing it righteously and the right way for quite some time now and they don't seem to be letting up. this new record doesn't quite sound like any of their others yet at the same time there's absolutely no doubt as to which three gals are completely shredding your speakers. i love this new batch of songs, they're raw, loud, tuneful, beautiful and groovy, yes groovy. i lived in portland for a few years (beautiful city, please don't move there, it needs to stay beautiful) and the sound of sleater kinney is in many ways the sound of that area. not in any sort of grunge related way either, it's a shame that that tag is still applied to the music of the PNW, that was a decade and a half ago, pure & honest music will always stun and impress no matter where it's born. what i mean is that i identify the sound of this band and this record in particular with the beauty of driving a rainy coastal highway, the awe of crashing waves, dominating forested volcanic peaks, the bazillion pages in powell's books, puddles, puddles, puddles and city dwellers who actually look you in the eye. i think these ladies have reflected their environment in a grand way on this album. the songs are different than their past ones, but not by much. i suppose there's more exploration on guitars than in the past, but you gotta go to know. right? the tracking order is wonderful, some of the songs even blend into each other, my favorite is the end of the record where "let's call it love" becomes "night light", pure rock-n-roll heaven. "jumpers" and "steep air" are great songs, very atmospheric, almost ethereal. i get more and more attached to these songs with each listening. i realize that i'm writing this review the same week that this album came out, probably the worst time to review any new music, how well can you honestly know anything after only a couple of days, but i've spun this disc about 10 times now and i can already tell, i'm not going to stop any time soon. these ladies have made a real keeper. the live tracks on the bonus dvd really are a bonus, lots of fun to see the band playing some new songs for their neighbors (all of the performances were filmed in portland clubs). during one of the tracks a camera focus' in on a fan wearing a t-shirt that reads "sleater kinney is for lovers". very nice. the only thing that keeps me form giving the record 5 stars has to do with the actual finished recording. i'm not a studio engineer so i don't know the proper terminology to use, but it seems to be recorded with too much power. what i mean is that alot of these tracks cause my speakers to distort and fuzz out when the songs get loud, be it my home stereo, car stereo, walkman or computer speakers. but still, that in itself kinda rules, it's like motorhead's motto: everything louder than everyone else. thanks sleater kinney for giving us this music, i love it.

Sleater-Kinney's first few albums were easily some of the best, most explosive sounding and melodic punk albums of the 90s. In 2002, they started experimenting with their sound, and released 'One Beat', a more complex and more layered variation of their previous sound. With 'The Woods', they continue to experiment, and do so magnificently.

Now, it should be noted that 'The Woods' is easily Sleater-Kinney's most difficult album. Some of the guitar sounds are loud and dissonant, and there's often a whole lot of noise over the magnificently written melodies. You might even say the sheer amount of noise is detramental to the album's overall sound. But anybody who loves it as much as I do when their favorite bands move in interesting new directions should love this album. Probably one of the best albums of the year.

Hello World,
Kinda bought this CD by mistake. Found out it was "all girl." As a seasoned Muses veteran I excpected decent music. Well, that young lady can play the drums like a lumber jack on pure crystal ice crank. I mean Dave Lombardo don't have a thing on this young lady. Lyrics and singing, off the chain!!! And the intertwined guitar work is amazing. I am truly alive and a 1200watt stereo helps. These ladies can rock so hard that geologists should change all of their history books, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New label, new sound.

Hit grrl-rock trio Sleater-Kinney made a move to Sub Pop Records, and it seems only appropriate that their sound changed in "The Woods." And the girls don't disappoint -- "The Woods" is bursting at the seams with explosive riffs, chaotic sounds, and sometimes it's even a little messy. Think of Sleater-Kinney's latest as the antidote to all that mass-produced, ultraslick rock-pop.

The drums, bass and guitar explode at the start of "The Fox," a tornado-punk song that has moments of quiet. Corin Tucker yowls, sings, yells and generally makes herself heard over music that gets denser and louder by the second. If it leaves you breathless, then the rest of the album will as well.

The blistering sound continues in fits and starts throughout the album, with moments of minor brilliance sprinkled in the madness. "What's Mine Is Yours," for instance," has a raw, twisty riff that seems to go on forever. And "Let's Call It Love" is a rarity -- an eleven-minute rocker that is worth every single second it plays.

Of course, not every song can sound like that -- that many raw rockers would be pretty monotonous. So, presumably in the interest of diversity, Sleater-Kinney keep in some catchier numbers, such as the deceptively catchy suicide song "Jumpers," the lighter "Modern Girl," and the slow-burning fuzz-rocker "Steep Air."

It's a sign of genuine talent when a rock band can sound this chaotic, but actually make it worth listening to. Most bands who try it just sound like their instruments are eating them alive. But Sleater-Kinney give their rock an experimental edge, and seem to be having fun with the distortion and pure rock noise.

Corin Tucker sounds like she's found a new reservoir of energy in "The Woods" -- I can't understand how she sounds so intense from beginning to end. The only exception is "Modern Girl," where she sounds relatively sweet, and the odd moment where those riffs drown her out a little.

Their sound has definitely evolved -- this time around, they sound heavier, rougher and full of power. The guitar work and the drums are nothing short of astounding, from the driving, smashing percussion to the searing riffs that take over the sound. The lyrics barely matter, because the music seems to be eating them alive.

After their move to Sub Pop, Sleater-Kinney proves once again that they are a worthy rock band, with "The Woods'" new, raw, explosive sound. You go, girls!