Listening

Sleater-Kinney, The Woods (Sub Pop) I know it's all too PC and all, but this has been one of my two favorite bands (along with Yo La Tengo, for completely different reasons) for a long time now. Speaking as a fan of catchy Sleater like Rid of Me or All Hands on the Bad One even more than anxious/intense Sleater like Call the Doctor and The Hot Rock and this one, I wish it was a little sweeter. But one thing I love about this band is that it's always evolving. And this one reminds me a little of the transition Polly Harvey made between Rid of Me and To Bring You My Love: from really raw open mix to using a creative producer and trying out a lot of different new sounds, the extra money spent on the production was well spent. So they still inspire me, and their guitars still remind me of people I've admired from Captain Beefheart to the Clash and the three-way conversation these three women have keeps it real at all times. And they still turn me into a nervous wreck sometimes. And did I mention that Janet Weiss is one of the greatest rock drummers, like, ever? Man, if she and Dave Grohl had a baby...yeah, and if they released "Rollercoaster" as a single with a kick-ass video...