REVIEW: Sleater-Kinney "The Woods"



Rating: 8.5

Whatever grrrly Seattle punk politics you might associate with them do not be mistaken, Sleater-Kinney is a rock band and they're a hundred feet tall.

Skip the first track "The Fox."  Go back to it later when you're good and ready.  "Wilderness" gets things started right with swampy John Fogerty backing and a wailing Jefferson Airplane bridge.  Next comes "What's Mine Is Yours," and if you think you hear a little Robert Plant in Carrie Brownstein's voice it's probably because the whole band is channeling Zeppelin's metallic Anglo-blues right down to window rattling bass and big bad Bonham drums.

Brownstein still manages to scream more melodically and coherently in the higher registers than any of her peers.  Sleater-Kinney can sometimes come off as high strung, racing through numbers and teasing at tasty hooks without bothering to reel you in.  "The Woods" is cohesive, heavy, hearty, low-slung and brazenly confident.  Immediately catchy leads are supported with the right mix of indulgent murky abandon and flawless team work.

This isn't a rock revival, it's simply and seriously Rock done right.

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