This is basically the page where you discuss this weeks choosen album. Each album has been choosen from a different member on DiS and will go on for a year, each album will be discussed in this topic until the next week (every thursday) where a new topic will be started for the new album, alongside this will be a topic for giving your final thoughts of this weeks album, simple?
This weeks album has been choosen by:
Popisdead
The Album:
Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock
1999 - Rock/Indie - Kill Rock Stars
Expectations for Sleater-Kinney's fourth album were stratospheric, with the raging, tuneful feminist catharsis of Call the Doctor and Dig Me Out having garnered near-universal critical raves and outlandish media hype. Afraid of falling into a predictable rut, though, the band bravely pushed its range of expression into more personal, subdued, and cerebral territory on The Hot Rock. That means the record isn't quite as immediately satisfying as its two brilliant predecessors, but it does reward those willing to spend time absorbing its nervy introspection and moodiness. Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein push relentlessly for more complex interplay, both in their vocal and instrumental work; even the gentlest songs might break into unexpected dissonance or take an angular, off-kilter melodic direction. As such, there's never an obvious, gut-level anthem that jumps out at the listener in the manner of an "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" or "Words and Guitar," but the intensity simmering under the surface does bubble over often, thanks to the group's greater use of dynamic shifts. There are fewer protest songs this time around, as most of the lyrics explore failed relationships and personal uncertainty, yet it manages to retain the sense of empowering catharsis that makes the group so compelling. The Hot Rock can invite comparisons to a less jam-oriented Television or a minimalist version of indie compatriots Helium (not to mention the obvious Kim Gordon homage on "Get Up"), but in the end, it stands on its own as Sleater-Kinney's most progressive and experimental work, as well as their darkest.
****
Source: Allmusic Guide
Well thats the album for this week, get listening and discuss!
gggood choice.
I'm honored
Woo. Yay me.
This is the only Sleater Kinney album i dont own
So looking forward to listening to it
I've never listened to Sleater Kinney
but meant to, this should be good.
Good choice!
last.fm, here I come.
It appears it isn't available on last.fm.
eBay, here I come...
i've never listened to S-K
so this is great :)
never listened to an sleater kinney
so im looking forward to buying it :)
O thank GOD!
You don't know how glad you dont own this already lol
intriguing!
this is going to be an absolute voyage of discovery for me! Here's hoping its a good one!
Cool idea
Not on amazon or emusic so I've gone the route of ebay. Hopefully it'll get here before the end of the week so I can add my 2 cents.
i give it 3 weeks
excellent
never heard any sleater-kinney so this will be interesting!
i think, because of circumstance, i will be only buying the albums from this that i REALLY like A LOT. i already have a list that is 30-40 albums long to buy. still - yay new stuff to listen to!
despite owning four Sleater-Kinney albums
I don't have this one, I will be checking it out though the review makes it sound very intriguing
distinctly underwhelmed after the first listen.
after the third i'll start tapping my fingers.
after the seventh or eight i'll love it.
after about a dozen plays i'll be telling everyone it's my favourite record ever.
after twenty-odd plays i'll put it in a cupboard and forget about it.
Brilliant - I am very very excited.
See you next Thusday (no sniggers you at the back) with my thoughts.
I love the fact that this is one of those 'i've been meaning to get hold of this for ages' albums :)
Interesting...
I've never really been into the SK stuff that I've heard, but I'll definitely give it a go.
Ace album
I'd say this was the point they started to get really good (Dig Me Out is pretty good, but this is a step up). Fits together really well and love the way the two voices and guitars fit together.
Track highlights: 'Get Up', 'Banned from the end of the world' and the wondrous 'Quarter to three' which is possibly the best thing they wrote.
Enjoy, all those who haven't heard it before.
After the first listen
I'm hooked, this is great! I'm off to get more now.
I'm already on the 3rd listen
it's actually very good and the best SK album I personally have heard.... it's very good! It's got enough going on for repeated listens but its not inapproachable those first listens... this is one album that has shelf life is this!
shouldn't we be saving this discussion for
next Thursday?
Or am I being too anal?
I'm being too anal aren't I?
Final opinions on thursday
you can discuss it in the mean time duddde
Check
Got it.
Not bad at all.
Although it's not something I'd usually listen to I'm quite enjoying it. I'm really digging 'Get Up', I can vaguely hear the Kim Gordon there.
Get Up is my fav song so far
it's really well done, the vocal harmonies that lay subtley under the spoken word delivery are pretty nice :D
Interesting... obtaining a copy of a friend.
Should be good.
aah, my era
Get Up and A Quarter to Three are the standouts but there isn't one duff track on this fine album.
SK
aren't ones to make duff music.
Nice choice, I haven't heard this
anyone care to point me in the direction of somewhere i can obtain this..
I just noticed that this thread existed
I never bothered with sleater-kinney before, so should be interesting.
I guess you may want to know...
why I chose this?
No huge reason other than it was one of the first albums I thought of that I love. I didn't want to be too obvious (Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Public enemy etc.) so this is what I came up with.
This was the first Sleater-Kinney album I bought and got into it immediately, and having given it a listen this morning will still be hearing it for the rest of the day. The particular highlight for me is "Banned From The End Of The World" for the interplay between the 2 voices although all the songs are fantastic. This is possibly helped by memories of going to see Sleater-Kinney at the LA2 (as it was then) and the audience being made up of lots of girls kissing. That helps an impressionable young man appreciate the music and desn't make me dirty whatsoever.
Sleater-Kinney are one of the few bands I actually miss now they're on "hiatus" as I also thought "The Woods" was fantastic.
just started listening
good impressions so far!
Yeah, it's begun.
Where is a good place to buy this?
Ebay selling it for around £4.67
but with postage this will rise to around the £7 mark
I don't have an ebay account.
Do I need to set one up to buy stuff?
thats fairly accurate for an around figure
also i think its likely to arrive after the week ends
booka!
a band i've never ever heard but always meant to at least check out. game on...
Now half way threw the week
What do people think of this album so far, I won't give a full review just yet but I must say this album is rather smashing :D
I'm saving myself for Thursday
but thumbs up.
I'm really liking it
I've got lots to say about this and Throwing Muses, but I will hold my tongue until Thurs.
hmmm
i'm not so taken with it. i've listened to it twice but the vocals don't really do anything for me. nice crunchy music though!
Kinda suprised you don't like the vocals
especially on 'Get Up' give that track a listen again
I seem to be in a similar position to others
that despite owning a couple of SK albums, I have never really paid them as much attention as I should have.
I have my copy of this now and am on my 3rd listen.
Very enjoyable so far, the two voices work well together and the guitar playing is more accomplished than I would have imagined. I think 'Banned From The End Of The World' is the standout track so far. my attention is falling of slightly towards the end of the album and I think I need more time to fully appreciate it.
All in all a good solid choice of opener.
Haven't had a chance to grab it yet.
I will tonight. Definitely.
I don't need to do this one
I've listened to this enough already.
Are you still taking suggestions?
Nope they have halted for now
If it goes very well I may request additonal ones near the end of the run :)
so you'll get back to us in may next year?
EXACTLY!
lol, that sounds silly :(
Only one more day and a half to listen to go
until the next album is revealed, so if you haven't get this one already :D
25hrs 5mins to go!!
I like it a lot.
I wish I'd gotten in on this...
darn. Well I think I'll prob check this out anyway.