284) Sleater Kinney - Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney have been around for thirty odd years (we will ignore their eight years break up)and have released eleven albums. We haven’t really embraced them here in the UK with only two of their records charting over here, that’s our mistake as they are an excellent band.

Sleater-Kinney, for most of their career were a trio of Carin Tucker on lead vocals and guitar, Carrie Brownstein on guitar and vocals and Janet Weiss on drums and this was the first record to feature Weiss, she would go on to play on seven albums in total but sadly left the group in 2019, a clear loss.

Fast guitars, searing drums and yelping vocals, fancy that? Well opener Dig Me Out delivers from start to finish. One More Hour, Carin, and Carrie both identify as bi-sexual, and this song they reflect on their breakup, but it’s exhilarating music and in your face.

Its track five, Heart Factory, before the ladies slow it down, all simple riffs and Weiss holding it together at the back before they shrill on the chorus (I have read that people struggle with Tucker’s voice, I think it’s a thing of beauty).

Words and Guitar is just launched into with Brownstein’s deadpan vocals reacting against Tucker’s voice, two minutes of joy.

No bass on Sleater-Kinney records and I do not miss it as there is so much going on, Little Babies has a chorus of “Rock the little babies, one two, three, four,” simple but effective.

The guitars intertwine with each other, Dance Song 97 stomps along and Jenny is an emotional song of beauty.

Weiss is clearly a supremely talented drummer, elevating the band from the raw punk of their first two records this was Sleater-Kinney showing us they were moving on and did we want to come along for the ride, I certainly did and do, I hope you do to.

8/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Little Babies