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62 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Venture into "The Woods", but be forewarned..., May 25, 2005
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Into the "Woods", July 5, 2005
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!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best S-K since Call the Doctor, but _different_, June 6, 2005
When was the last time we heard Carrie Brownstein deliver one of her trademark blood-curdling screams? If memory serves, it was way back in 1996, where said noisemakers could be heard in the background of the Call the Doctor title track and closer. It's been a while, but- thank goodness- Brownstein is ready scream again. With _The Woods_, Sleater-Kinney has laid down their heaviest record at least since CtD, and maybe, well, *ever.* Seriously, this album is Sleater-Kinney at their most thunderous. This is improved by excellent, fuzzed out production that makes this record sound like you just dug it out of the dustiest corners of your dad's attic LP collection (it was the record that earned him his hearing aids). I'm not surprised that some people have disliked the sound quality- and I confess, when I downloaded a few mp3s before I bought the album, I did wonder if I had corrupted files- but on repeated listens I've come to appreciate what it adds to the record. Certainly I prefer the lo-fi Woods to the overproduced All Hands or squeaky clean One Beat. The sound of this album is, at any rate, closer to where the band cut their teeth, on their blistering self-titled debut and classic follow-up, both of which had a powerful lo-fi sound. Then as now, lo-fi means texture, weight, and a visceral impact. Of course, I can't describe it to save my life- but it's crushing.
At any rate, it's not like someone just fell asleep at the controls in the production room. I fully believe S-K wanted the record to sound the way it does- and in any case, the sound works. So do the songs. The last pair of Sleater-Kinney records has fallen off of my radar after a few listens (give or take a handful of tracks), I expect this one to have a much greater shelf-life. The songwriting is very consistent, and there are some excellent standout tracks- "Wilderness," "Entertain" and the closer "Night Light"- but, you know, my hopes for the greater shelf-life of this album are served by the fact that I think I could list any three songs on the album and feel satisfied that I was accurately representing the balance of the record. It's that good.
Not every Sleater-Kinney fan will dig it on first listen, I'm sure. If you much prefer Dig Me Out to Call the Doctor, or, God forbid, you prefer a more recent release to either of those gems, then you might not like this record. As stated, there are few precious pop melodies on this record (apparently Sleater-Kinney are no rock & roll fun anymore, thank god). There are some good hooks, though, and plenty of punch. Certainly, if you've not been balled over by the last few S-K albums, this is the moment to get back into the mix. My vote says instant classic.
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An Amazon.com Best of 2005 selection.
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