IN REVIEW: Sleater-Kinney - "No Cities To Love"

-

Your level of excitement for Sleater-Kinney's eighth album (and first in nearly ten years) is likely going to be somewhat dependent on whether you view Carrie Brownstein as "the one from Portlandia" or "the one from Sleater-Kinney". Those pressing play on No Cities To Love looking for quirky, hipster-baiting comedy might not get the album's desired effect, but those of us who fondly remember Sleater-Kinney's incendiary discography will fall right back in love by the time Price Tag hits its stride.

That's not to say No Cities To Love is a nostalgic act of fan service; it's not. Rather, it feels like a natural progression from The Woods. Whereas the former was dark, brooding and suffocating, the latter is slicker, more wide open and dangerous; to really see what I mean, try out Entertain and Surface Envy back-to-back. Or try standing former single Jumpers up next to current single Bury Our Friends; both great songs, but one bursts with life while the other chokes it out.

Brownstein, along with partners in crime Corin Tucker and Janet Weiss, are in complete command for the record's entirety, adding layer after layer to their legacy and punching staple after staple into their future set lists. Throughout, the lyrics are razor sharp, the rhythms alluring, the intensity and emotion palpable. It's also got massive chops and genuine hooks, as illustrated on Hey Darling and A New Wave. They're the type of songs that could (and should) do damage on alternative radio whether the calendar reads 1995 or 2015 (not that they're chasing fame, of course).

It should also be noted that jettisoning The Woods producer Dave Fridmann (whose loud, distorted production style still baffles me to this day) in favour of returning to John Goodmanson (who produced most of their previous records) is a sensible, fruitful move; there's still plenty of fury and the record is very loud by times (like the thunderous No Anthems), but it never becomes as exhaustive as The Woods was.

In fact, No Cities To Love has the opposite effect; rather than send you reeling from an aural assault, this record's conclusion will send you right back to the play button. It's not just a welcome return, it's a testament to the group's importance, ten shining examples of why we've missed them (even if we didn't realize that we did). It's not just another good Sleater-Kinney record, it's a new career benchmark. Sleater-Kinney may be the first to arrive on the battlefield in 2015, but don't be surprised if they're planting their flag and surrounded by the corpses of their challengers come December.

January 20, 2015 • Sub Pop
Highlights Price Tag • Surface Envy • Bury Our Friends

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IN REVIEW: Surf Curse - "Magic Hour"

-
Image
  After a slow ascent that saw them self-release their first three albums over the course of six years, Surf Curse found fame in the way that so many young and hungry bands do in this modern age; Freaks , written in 2011 and originally released on their debut Buds in 2013, found itself a sudden smash after soundtracking memes on TikTok in 2020, eventually garnering over 200 million streams and earning the group a major label contract.  The first album following their breakthrough, Magic Hour finds plenty of changes in store for fans; now expanded to a four-piece, this album immediately sets itself apart from previous releases based on the fuller sound in the songs alone. Couple that with a step away from the lo-fi aesthetic that played a part in earlier releases and this is obviously going to be a different experience than people may have hyped themselves up for. That said, the crunchy, energized Arrow and the lush, dreamy Cathy combine for a very strong start even as they fly in the
Read more

Gallantly Streaming: Avenged Sevenfold Go Full On 90's With Familiar, Stunning Results

-
Image
Stream Avenged Sevenfold's Hail To The King here , courtesy iTunes. As uncool and un-hipsterish as it may be for me to admit on a blog, I'm a fan of Avenged Sevenfold. Their breakthrough album City of Evil and its blistering lead single Bat Country sucked me in, and their varied, multiple era sprawling attack kept me around waiting for more. Their 2007 self titled effort was just as strong in its shameless genre hopping, planting their feet firmly in the technical metal that endeared them to so many while reaching out to explore new sounds. With that said, I felt 2010's Nightmare was a step back; while it had some genuinely thrilling moments, it overall lacked some of the adventurousness that made them so interesting. Upon listening to Hail To The King 's title track for the first time, I was admittedly disappointed by its trite lyrics and (mostly) simplistic musicianship. However, repeated exposure has helped the track age well; once you get past the lyrics
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Honorable Mentions

-
Image
  Well, well, well. If it isn't Sound Bites temporarily coming back to life, suspiciously close to the end of the year. That must only mean one thing; well, aside from the author being supremely lazy and neglectful to his blog yet again. Yes, dear reader, it's time for Year in Rock. Look, I'm out of excuses as to why I can turn from cranking out content at a record pace to a full year of radio silence; suffice to say, this blog certainly isn't a priority in my life (which I have been rebuilding since my last post, but that's all personal stuff I have no desire to steal bandwidth from more deserving and important things). Sound Bites will continue to exist as a mausoleum for my personal music tastes, but it's not pivoting into self-help territory, nor is it roaring back to full-time status. I'll check in periodically, so as to say when there's something worth sharing. It might be once a year, it might be more frequently, but I definitely won't be gett
Read more