Sleater Kinney / Wild Flag / Quasi / related bands

[joostone]

As someone who really liked the first two post-hiatus albums, I’m not really feeling this one yet. ‘Favorite Neighbor’ is the only one that’s really hitting the spot so far.

Some of the Corin songs sound very reminiscent of her solo records, which I liked, but guess it’s just not what I want from a S-K record. Here’s to hoping it’s a slow burner

I agree. This new album sounds great but Im used to SK blowing my mind with new stuff. But it's a great record and I really dig the first half. It's a different beast in their catalogue

[MadTIGERmaN]

Taking the Wild Flag album, and Corins solo work, + the last 2 albums, I think this is the musical direction Carrie and Corin are heading, the sound, the vibe.

Which really makes No Cities To Love seem like Janet trying to keep them to the "old sound"


I think if I cherry picked my fav songs off the last 2 albums I could make a really good album, but the other songs are just so lacking.

[digster]

Finally had a chance to listen to it, and am still sitting with it. I like it, although it's another surprise in their discography, mainly because it's a fairly moody, even mellow album, and I think before now it would have been impossible for me to even imagine what a "mellow" Sleater-Kinney record could sound like; even something like The Hot Rock, which was probably their moodiest record, thus far, is imbued with anxious energy in every part and how they're played.

But this actually makes me more interested, rather than less; No Cities To Love was so great because that sound had been gone for ten years, and we thought it might never come back again. To hear it again in great songs was awesome, but that's probably a trick that can only work once. It's hard to imagine this band trying to write something like The Woods and outdoing it.

I don't know if I could put this above anything from the pretty much perfect Call The Doctor --> The Woods run, but that's one of the all-time stretches in indie rock. It sounds pretty great as something that adds another wrinkle to their catalog; after all, the long hiatus throws us off, but they formed this band almost 30 years ago. They've been around a very, very long time. A review likened this album to R.E.M.'s 'Up,' which I hear not necessarily in sound, but mood and in how it's acting in relation to the rest of the band's catalog (as well as the easy comparison of being the first album done without each band's longtime drummer).

[digster]

I will say that one thing I'm missing, maybe even more than Janet's drumming, is Carrie has really changed her guitar playing on the last two records. Her riffs, along with Corin's voice, are probably the two most distinctive sonic parts of this band, but she's become a far more, for lack of a better term, laid back player and writer. She'll fill in around the song instead of writing a mile-a-minute guitar line to drive it. I don't know if it's a bad thing; it probably works for these particular songs, especially, but it did jump out at me when listening to this record.

[verb_to_trust]

No fam, it's a bad thing

[MadTIGERmaN]

I will say that one thing I'm missing, maybe even more than Janet's drumming, is Carrie has really changed her guitar playing on the last two records. Her riffs, along with Corin's voice, are probably the two most distinctive sonic parts of this band, but she's become a far more, for lack of a better term, laid back player and writer. She'll fill in around the song instead of writing a mile-a-minute guitar line to drive it. I don't know if it's a bad thing; it probably works for these particular songs, especially, but it did jump out at me when listening to this record.

Yeah this album is definitely not driven by the guitars as much as some of their others. Its got a fully sound as well with organ/piano, and even a bass guitar on some tracks! (Janet will not be happy, she hated when Sam added a bass player into Quasi)

[VinylGuy]

i listened to half of it and it was merely fine. I liked the first track but im not sure i wanna finish it.

Also, i might be super tired of SK, so it might not be their fault but actually i dont wanna hear their music.

[Leatherhead]

I've listened to this a bit more, it's already starting to really grow. There's even some heavy stuff that I kinda overlooked at first.

[VinylGuy]

I finished it yesterday and its a big yawn for me.

[VinylGuy]

Gave it another listen...man, i wish this one was with Janet too. The drums are so low and bored here...and the songs kinda ask for them.

Path Of Wellness is a petty cool song...and Tomorrow's Grave too. But after those everything is kinda similar.

[VinylGuy]

Also, im listening to the Paris album and it reminded me how much i enjoyed No Cities To Love when it came out.

[VinylGuy]

aw that Paris album got me missing Janet so much.

[MadTIGERmaN]

Gave it another listen...man, i wish this one was with Janet too. The drums are so low and bored here...and the songs kinda ask for them.

Path Of Wellness is a petty cool song...and Tomorrow's Grave too. But after those everything is kinda similar.

I dont think this album happens with Janet. Janet sounds like a real stickler for things, and I dont think she would be on board with piano/organ/bass guitars in Sleater-Kinney songs at all. Mostly because she was not okay with Quasi touring with a bass player for a couple years, and had said the Wild Flag songs would not have worked for SK (even though it was still just 2 guitars but they also had a keyboard)

The more and more I think about it, Carrie and Corin seem like they wanna make new music, new sounds, try different things out. And I think Janet was stuck in the "no, we are a 3 piece punk band or raw energy"

High in the Grass feels like a hybred of The Fox (the intro) and Glass Tambourine (from Wild Flag) during the outro, with Corin channeling her inning Joni Mitchell, and that bass groove is so good.

[VinylGuy]

yeah, this new album sounds different for sure, and the drums are...almost buried. Its a little beat and not the monster sound Janet always brought.

[verb_to_trust]

All the drum sounds are actually sampled sounds of Annie Clark pegging Carrie with a strap on.

[MadTIGERmaN]

So many songs off Path of Wellness have similar vibes to songs off Center Wont Hold, so I was thinking, I wonder how this would have worked as a single disc.

Hurry On Home
Future Is Here
Restless
Can I Go On
Worry With You
Down the Line
Method
Path of Wellness
High In the Grass
Reach Out
Favorite Neighbor
Complex Female Characters
The Center Wont Hold
Tomorrows Grave
Ruins
No Knives
The Dog / The Body
Shadow Town
Bring Mercy
Broken

You can fit Bad Dance, Love, and Animal all on a single disc with no edits required, but those 3 songs just dont fit anything else on these two discs. If I had to, I'd probably stick Bad Dance and Love between Reach Out and Favorite Neighbor.

4 - 10 play great (Can I Go On through Reach Out)
16-20 is also a solid run. I was never a huge fan of The Dog / The Body, but sticking it between No Knives and Shadow Town is so nice. Shadow Town nd Bring Mercy should have been back to back on the new album. Shadow Towns outro into the intro for Bring Mercy just flows so good. Those 13 songs in those 2 runs + Hurry On Home and Center Wont Hold make a great 50 min album IMO

[VinylGuy]

mm not sure. Center Wont Hold is its own beast, the production is so different and the Janet factor add so much to it.

[bodysnatcher]

Carrie has worse vocals than Jeff Ament

[Leatherhead]

I'm enjoying the shit outta this new album. Sounding like a great album for the summer this year.

[epilogue]

I'm enjoying the shit outta this new album. Sounding like a great album for the summer this year.