This is a band I've been wanting to get into for quite some time. In the absence of a Best-Of compilation, which is usually my first approach, I started out with the "critically acclaimed" one, Dig Me Out. Then I stumbled upon this CD, which seemed to be what I was looking for in the first place. It's not commercially available, since it's no "Best Of" but a promotional tool for the 2014 re-release of their (up to that point) complete discography in vinyl on Sub Pop Records. A box set called Start Together//1994-2006 containing all the LP's on coloured vinyl plus a bonus 7', was released simultaneously. This 15-track sampler with selections from the box set was therefore not intended as an introduction for the novice, but as a reminder for old fans who could spare $125 to re-buy in a deluxe package albums they may already have on CD. It contains 2 tracks from each album (3 from Dig Me Out) in order to be representative of their catalogue, but it sounds like a greatest hits, even if the band didn't have any hits proper. Most of their singles are here, but in any case every song included sounds like a stone-cold classic: catchy hooks, powerful playing, passionate singing, intelligent lyrics. The CD is presented in reverse chronological order to front-load it with the most "commercial" tracks, but that's no way to tell a story, so we'll re-reverse it and start in 1994 and the nascent riot grrrl scene based in a Northwestern town called Olympia, Washington. Corin Tucker (lead vocals, guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (lead guitar, vocals) are members of two feminist punk bands - Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17, respectively. They embark on a romantic relationship and make a record together (Sleater-Kinney, 1995) From that album, "Be Yr Mama" is aggressive and sounds somewhat derivative to my ears, a bit too similar to the scene's de facto leaders, Bikini Kill.
On "The Day I Went Away" they play angular new wave with the two singers perfectly complementing each other, setting the foundation for what would be their signature sound. The next year, they left their former bands and put all their creative energies into Sleater-Kinney. While Call The Doctor (1996) is certainly no mellower, the eponymous song and "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" are catchier, the guitar playing is more sophisticated, and outbursts more rousing . On third album Dig Me Out (1997) the band is completed with the addition of Janet Weiss on drums (before they had relied on various temporary drummers). The music and lyrics present more variation: the happy-go-lucky chorus of "Little Babies" mocks traditional maternity roles, while "One More Hour" is an emotionally raw breakup song (about the end of Corin and Carrie's own romantic relationship, thankfully the artistic one would go on) and "Words & Guitar" a celebration of the power of rock'n'roll. 1999's The Hot Rock tones down the anger of their previous albums, with single "Get Up" and "Start Together" presenting a more experimental guitar sound a la Sonic Youth - though still quite easy on the ear thanks to the now-familiar catchy choruses and intertwined vocals. All Hands on the Bad One (2000), represented here by the title track and "You're No Rock n' Roll Fun" on the other hand is more straightforward effervescent pop-punk. One Beat (2002) continued churning snappy and radio-friendly punk pop, mixing the personal ("Oh!") with the political: shouting to be heard above the post-9/11 nationalist paranoia, Sleater-Kinney dared to go against the flow and question America's "war on terror". Sample lyric from "Combat Rock": "They tell us there are only two sides to be on/ If you are on our side, you’re right, if not you’re wrong/ But are we innocent, the paragons of good? Is our guilt erased by the pain that we’ve endured?". Considering their origins, one might say they were preaching to the converted, which prevented a Dixie Chicks-style backlash - still it was a ballsy move that must have hampered their commercial appeal. Which brings us to album No.7, the last before they went into an extended hiatus: The Woods (2006) is another artistic triumph, quite removed from their punk rock beginnings. "Modern Girl" is a semi-acoustic Kinks-like tune with harmonica, the ironic chorus "My whole life/ Is like a picture of a sunny day" belied by elements hidden inside the verse (sample "Took my money, I couldn't buy nothin'/ I'm sick of this brave new world"). The grunge/Pixies-like rocker "Jumpers" also hides its darkness: despite its preppy arrangement, it concerns alienation in modern cities and was inspired by an article on suicides at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The quality of the songs crammed into this 15-song sampler is amazing. Compare it to any compilation by any rock giant of the era: Nirvana. REM. Pearl Jam. Green Day. Sonic Youth. Anyone. It proves that Sleater-Kinney were second to none. Though I should use the present tense: after a lengthy hiatus chasing other projects including Carrie's involvement in successful TV comedy series Portlandia, the band is back and apparently they're just as good as ever. It's too bad this compilation isn't commercially available to introduce them to younger audiences, but if its purpose was to persuade buyers to get the expensive vinyl box-set it was more than convincing. Consider me hooked.
***** for Jumpers, You're No Rock N' Roll Fun, Little Babies, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
**** for Modern Girl, Oh!, Combat Rock, All Hands On The Bad One, Start Together, Get Up, One More Hour, Call The Doctor, Be Yr Mama, The Day I Went Away
*** for Words And Guitar
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