The Mala Noche Recommends: Sleater-Kinney's "The Woods," One of the All-Time Best Rock Albums
Written by: Christian Jatar
Sleater-Kinney, one of the most closely associated bands of the Riot grrrl movement which originated in Washington D.C., is quite the unconventional trio. Mostly because of Corin Tucker’s wailing exclamation point of a voice and their often thematically heavy songwriting. They started off as a purely fuck-you punk band and slowly began to accept more pop-focused melodies into their generally obtuse song structures. Tucker’s unique voice served as the ultimate calling card for all their albums and, as they got better and better, Carrie Brownstein’s accompanying, and at times leading voice, began to infuse their sound with a welcome dose of enticing and, at times, beautiful harmonies. With each new album, the band became more ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist and in the vast rock’n’roll spectrum of highly respected musicians. By 2002, Sleater-Kinney had already made it but they were missing their masterpiece.
Enter, The Woods. A rock album so carefully produced, so meticulously constructed, it absolutely begs for repeated listens. It’s a classic rock inspired masterpiece that flows from track to track with the confidence of a band way past their, then current, age. From opening track, “The Fox,” which features some of Tucker’s most infectious howls, you’re immediately transported to a world filled with pounding drums and riff-heavy guitars that put to shame the more avid of self-proclaimed torch-bearers of classic rock (I’m looking at you, Greta Van Fleet). Carrie Brownstein’s guitar work throughout the swift 53 minutes is awe-inspiring. And her vocal contributions, especially her lead in “Entertain,” one of the album's highlights, is aggressive, energetic and undeniably fun, all at the same time. A tough balance that is constantly held in all of The Woods’ 10 tracks. A balance that most bands wish they could pull-off so smoothly. Janet Weiss’ drums are always loud and absolutely arresting. They demand close examination and are easily the driving force of the entire album experience, as they should. And again, Corin Tucker absolutely steals the show every time she lets her ear-piercing vocal cords take center stage. Vocals, that before The Woods came to be, might have been a bit too much, are now more subdued, more controlled, more precise in their effort to absolutely strike you like the hammer of Thor whenever possible. All of these elements come together in the most interesting of ways on the 11-minute long, “Let’s Call It Love.” A Led Zeppelin-type jam sesh that further demonstrates the sheer talent wielded by all three members.
Sleater-Kinney seems to be having at a lot of angry fun on this album, and that’s what makes it such an interesting, ultimately unforgettable experience. If you’ve never heard of Sleater-Kinney before, well, maybe it’s time that you should. And there’s no better way to start off on such an eclectic discography than with The Woods.
Also worth noting, they’re currently producing their new album with Annie Clark of St. Vincent fame, so get on this wild, energetic train before it’s too late!
Favorite Tracks: “The Fox,” “What’s Mine Is Yours,” “Jumpers,” “Entertain,” “Rollercoaster,” “Let’s Call It Love.”
As an added bonus, I’m leaving you guys with one of my favorite live performance of theirs. It’s so fucking good, I watch it every night before I sleep. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I truly do love this performance so much, it’s a bit scary and, honestly, worrisome. Anyways, have fun!