Sleater-Kinney ‎– Start Together // 1994 - 2006 // A Sampler (2014 comp)*****

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

Sleater-Kinney "Dig Me Out" 1997****

Seeing that, by happy coincidence, I've presented 3 female artists in a row, I decided to make a thing out of it and continue until the 8th of March, which is International Women's Day. The actual meaning of this day is foggy to most of us. Well-meaning men understand it as a plea to be nice to your female co-worker and bring her coffee, for a change. Women often seem to think that "it's our day today, so let's drink and behave like men!". At the very best, people believe it's about showing women our appreciation for everything they do for us by giving them flowers or gifts - Valentine's Day and Mother's Day rolled into one. Well, don't let that shock you but International Women's Day is actually part of a Communist Conspiracy to undermine our freedom by making us unwillingly celebrate an idea proposed by an American socialist, ratified by the Second Internationale who set the date on the 8th of March, and sponsored by the Bolsheviks. In time it lost its socialist connections and came to be identified with the feminist cause in general, and even that tends to be underplayed nowadays. Maybe because many of them apparently regard feminism as irrelevant in the modern world. I get the fact that they don't see themselves as victims of discrimination but, even discounting the fact that women have absolutely no rights in a large part of this world, one look at political and business summits raises the question of why there are so few women up there. The music world is a prime example of that. And yes, I know there are super-dynamic and successful women out there, but one Madonna does not make the difference - after all Queen Victoria used to rule half the world, what good did it do to the women in the British Empire? Even in progressive underground subcultures, gender equality was always shrugged off as irrelevant. Girls in the hippie communes were still expected to clean, cook, and fuck the men as a matter of obligation. Punk did produce a number of strong and independent female figures (Patti Smith, Siouxsie, Poly Styrene etc) but its tolerance of violent and brutish behaviour (especially in its American hardcore variety) has often shut women out.

...which bring us to the Riot Grrl story. A politico-musical movement combining punk music with feminist consciousness, it started -like grunge, with which it's closely related- from the American Northwest and consisted of a bunch of loud-but-literate girl bands eager to create a place for themselves in a macho rock scene and touch on issues not commonly addressed in rock music, like violence against women and gender equality. Sleater-Kinney may not have been the most radical or outspoken of these bands, but they were by far the most popular and artistically successful. All of their albums are critically acclaimed, but Dig Me Out is the one that regularly makes the Greatest Albums of All Time lists. At that point (1997) the band consisted of singer/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss. As expected by the trio form, the music is lean and stripped-down. The vocals are loud and guitars are angular and aggressive while musical influences seem to include Nirvana, The Ramones and Sonic Youth. The latter band's Kim Gordon served as a role model for many women in the indie rock scene, being an outspoken and dynamic woman in a rock band as well as the protagonist of many indie guys' fantasies. Incidentally her recently released memoir Girl in a Band is considered one of last years' must-reads. I haven't read it myself yet though, as I'm slowly working my way through an overlong reading list. Anyway, back to Dig Me Out and the same-named track that opens the record: it's as an in-your-face affair as you're ever going to find in the grunge scene, shouty vocals reminiscent of Courtney Love and Hole but abrasive guitar work rising above that level. "One More Hour", which was released as the lead single, is less aggressive and closer to the Throwing Muses' new wave style. The interplay between the singers is also a particular highlight while it's interesting to note that it's ostensibly based on the dissolution of a brief romantic affair they had (with each other). "Turn It On" is a rousing rocker and "The Drama You've Been Craving" sports angular guitars a la Gang Of Four and lyrics that could well have been sung by those striking female workers on the original 8th of March: "The clock I'm punching in (I'm a monster) Work till I can't give (I'm a machine)". "Heart Factory" alternates quiet and loud passages while "Words and Guitar" would be typical '77 style punk if not for the twin lead vocals. These are also evident on the punk'n'roll of "Little Babies", the album's poppier number and second single."Not What You Want" and the sax-blowing "It's Enough" are loud and fast, while "Buy Her Candy" and "Jenny" slower. None of them is particularly impressive. The new wavey "Things You Say" and "Dance Song '97" thankfully raise the quality level again, the latter introducing 80's-sounding keyboards. Definitely a classic record, with quality songwriting, great performances and crisp production, it has deservedly gained a position in the relative lists. The band broke up in 2006, while Carrie deployed her writing and acting talents as co-writer and star of the successful comedy TV series "Portlandia", a show satirizing hipsters, pretentious art types, political correctness and, yes, dogmatic feminists. For those who enjoyed last week's piece on Joanna Newsom here you can catch her guest starring on a sketch from Portlandia's second season, together with Carrie and co-star Fred Armisen:

Last year, and while the TV show is running its 6th season, they reformed to release a well-received new album and a triumphant comeback tour - hey: feminist female rockers (and former lovers, for extra spice!) hit forty and, in response, re-unite their 90's punk band to re-live their wild youth. Sound like an episode of Portlandia or what? Oh, the comedic potential...

***** for Dig Me Out, Turn It On, Little Babies, Dance Song '97

**** for One More Hour, The Drama You've Been Craving, Words and Guitar, Things You Say

*** for Heart Factory, It's Enough, Not What You Want, Buy Her Candy

** for Jenny