The first band that truly “got inside” Sleater-Kinney
If you could bottle whatever Sleater-Kinney have, then all energy drink companies would go out of business overnight. There is a raw power that comes with their sound that grabs and shakes the listener, and despite decades of making music, it’s still present throughout every second of every song.
This is fully on display on their newest album, Little Rope. The record draws from their past and brings elements of their early music to the surface, but with a musical maturity that only comes from developing a better understanding of sound and structure. They are scholar-like in their rage, with punk and hard rock being prominent factors in their writing, but drawing from other styles when putting their final body of work together.
In a 4.5-star review of their most recent album, Far Out deemed Little Rope “a mighty roar from the top of the alternative food chain”. Saying, “In case there was any doubt that Sleater-Kinney has in no way lost that roaring, chaotic energy that made them 1990s punk sensations: hit play on Little Rope. But be warned, headphone users, this one is deafening. The amps are turned to 10, the vocals are screaming, and the climaxes are set to hit your eardrums like a brass-knuckled punch.”
It’s one thing making music for three decades, but it is something else entirely doing so and being able to approach a new project with the energy and enthusiasm that these two do. It shows that their passion for what they do is still very much at the forefront, and it’s a pleasure to listen to.
When people have such an affinity towards the music they make, there tend to be significant influences at play, ones that lit a spark in them years ago that refuses to be put out. That’s the case for Sleater-Kinney, who, during an episode of What’s In My Bag?, spoke about some of the artists they love the most. One who, in particular, was referenced as an early love was The Replacements.
“The Replacements are one of my favourite bands,” said Carrie Brownstein as she held up a copy of the band’s album Tim (Let It Bleed Edition). “Don’t Tell a Soul came out when I was a sophomore in high school. Then, what happened, of course, was I didn’t realise The Replacements had many albums before Don’t Tell a Soul, and I went back and discovered those albums. Tim was the one that really just got inside me and sort of has been living in my heart ever since… I just think this is such a special, special album.”
Brownstein’s face drops shortly after as she is told that the original album no longer exists and the only one that can be enjoyed now is the remixed version. She pretends to throw the record away but quickly brings it back close, apparently unable to part ways with what was such an early inspiration for her.
“I’m hesitant now to dive in,” she says before stumbling upon a happy compromise. “I still stand by Tim… the tension in this room is very uncomfortable. But here’s the thing: this is a room full of music lovers, and that’s what’s great about record shopping, buying and collecting. It’s that you’re surrounded by people who care greatly.”
The record for her, remixed or not, means too much ever to part ways with or speak negatively about. Given it was such a massive inspiration towards the sound that Sleater-Kinney would eventually discover, the album is, ironically, irreplaceable.
