sleater-kinney is dead; long live (the) sleater-kinney (thread)

MikeyP said:
I’m tagging along with a group to see Dave Mathews at the Gorge in a couple weeks. I’m excited, but more for the spectacle of it opposed to the music. DMB isn’t really my thing, but I also think they get a bit of a bad rap. They are fine. The people I’m going with are mostly rabid fans. Hearing them describe their love of this band, I’d mostly describe it as comfort food to them. They know EXACTLY what they are going to get from a Dave Mathews concert, or a new DMB record. No alarms, no surprises.
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And that thing is always "nothing approaching the levels of 2003 and before"

In h/s I was a diehard DMB fan. I now relate to all those Deadheads that won't listen to anything post '78.

This was off topic sry lol
 
mcherry said:
@whatwhatsaywhat are you ok with that?
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sure, what about 'sleater-kinney is dead; long live sleater-kinney' as an alternative?

listened to the album twice - can't see myself every returning to it

below average record with none of the wit nor wisdom - nor, crucially, the songs - of any their previous records over the last 20 years
 
mcherry said:
So should we change the title of the thread? Since it’s kind of become this forum’s SK thread? Or too soon?
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I think that changing this thread title was disrespectful to and dismissive of Janet Weiss.

Discussion of the new VMP Essentials album should be in the VMP Essentials thread. I thought we were limiting VMP-releated threads to just five threads.
 
Well my autographed BN copy arrived today and I must say I'm impressed with the autograph- right on the jacket, in three different color inks and with impression and doesn't look laser printed!

Of course the record is warped as fuck from sitting on my deck for 7 hours in the Alabama summer. Not sure I'm going to go through the trouble of replacement.

But I'm really glad I got this instead of the red VMP- with everything it just seems like a fitting epitaph to the complete original band
 
High Rant District said:
I think that changing this thread title was disrespectful to and dismissive of Janet Weiss.

Discussion of the new VMP Essentials album should be in the VMP Essentials thread. I thought we were limiting VMP-releated threads to just five threads.
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We limited the threads but we didn’t say people couldn’t discuss VMP in other threads if it was related to the discussion. Such as VMP preorders in the preorder thread or discussing a VMP variant of an album in an artist thread.

I disagree about disrespecting Janet with the title change. The conversation seemed to broaden to more than just Janet’s departure and i wondered if perhaps people were ready for this to be the general S-K thread. If not, that’s totally cool. Another option is to start a general S-K thread and have both exist.
 
I streamed it this morning. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Not sure if this will be something I will listen to often. Too much SV and not enough SK, especially Corin.
What this album made me realize is why JW left. If you’re familiar with this band, she is touted as one hell of a drummer and one of the all time greats. Yet her role on this album is minimized. There was one track where the beginning beat sounded like a NIN song.
I’d give it 2.5 robot dance moves out of 5.
 
I like it. I found myself curious after the first listen and gave it another. It's not the album of the year or anything, but I also believe it to be a grower. I honestly think it sounds like I would expect a St Vincent and Sleater-Kinney project to sound. I think it bridges the gap well.
 
Ginormousthumbs said:
I streamed it this morning. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Not sure if this will be something I will listen to often. Too much SV and not enough SK, especially Corin.
What this album made me realize is why JW left. If you’re familiar with this band, she is touted as one hell of a drummer and one of the all time greats. Yet her role on this album is minimized. There was one track where the beginning beat sounded like a NIN song.
I’d give it 2.5 robot dance moves out of 5.
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I wish you and @VegasJaneite were coming with me to the show.
 
I was not expecting the album to be what it is. It was surprising and interesting. Ultimately, it’s disappointing for me though.

S-K were three equals and we know that’s not the case on this album. The only song Janet actually gets to be Janet is on the title track and it’s buried in the mix. I couldn’t imagine watch Janet playing these songs live. It would be a waste. It’s totally Carrie forward. I wish there was more interplay between her and Corin and more Corin. Carrie’s emergence as the “front person” hasn’t sat right with me. I know she is more famous but still.

Okay! Nothing on this album grabs me by the collar and says let’s go or I gotta tell you this or gives me really any feeling (Broken excluded). If this wasn’t S-K, I would probably like it okay and move on without much thought.

My least favorite song is The Dog/The Body. Musically and vocally, I’ve heard this song a million times. It’s exactly what S-K is not to me, generic. It bothers me to no end.

There are moments I really like and I don’t think this album is awful at all. It’s good/interesting. I love the theme and artwork. It’s just not the album for me. I’ll still pull it out and listen to it. Goodness knows I love synth pop (the chorus on Reach Out is 80s synth pop amazingness).

I’m glad there are people who love this album and some new people are coming into the fold.
 
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Got my black/cream split today.

I have a very clear memory of an interview that S-K did a few years ago where they talked about why they came back after their hiatus. Essentially, what was said was something like "we were hoping someone would pick up where we left off and nobody did."

That was what stuck in my head listening to this new album.
The melodies are memorable, the arrangements performed with machine-like precision. With any other S-K album, these exact same statements could apply.
BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTT... where's the vocal interplay that used to exist? Where's Janet's thundering? Why does it sound as immediately subdued and over-worked as it does? And, studio junkies please back me up on this, why does it sound sooooooo much like Janet's drumkit has been Drum-a-gog'd on a few tracks ("Restless" and "Ruins" in particular)?

This album doesn't sound like S-K at all, but instead like every band that could site S-K as contemporaries or an influence.

If I look at it as its own album, however, I fucking love it. I'd go as far as to rate it an 8.5/10, and alongside other S-K albums will demand more listens from me than One Beat ever did or Dig Me Out will again (sorry, hot take, I'm just over it and much prefer the songwriting on The Hot Rock).

I have no idea what the hell this band is anymore.
But if their next album is as good as this, I will buy it.
 
sarcasticfairyprincess said:
Also, weirdly, I'm getting some b-52's vibes from some of the songs. Maybe I'm just crazy.
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I actually don't think that's weird.
I remember getting The Hot Rock in '99 and playing it almost obsessively around my parents house. My dad heard "Banned From The End Of The World" one day and re-marked that they sounded a LOT like the B-52's, that one of them ("the one singing," Corin) has a Cindy vibe and the other ("the one almost barking her words," Carrie) has a Fred vibe. Once he mentioned that, I could not at all unhear it on other recordings.
Then, a few years later, they collaborated with Fred on a cover of "Angry Inch" from the musical.
#fullcircle
#ilovemydad
 
MadLucas said:
I actually don't think that's weird.
I remember getting The Hot Rock in '99 and playing it almost obsessively around my parents house. My dad heard "Banned From The End Of The World" one day and re-marked that they sounded a LOT like the B-52's, that one of them ("the one singing," Corin) has a Cindy vibe and the other ("the one almost barking her words," Carrie) has a Fred vibe. Once he mentioned that, I could not at all unhear it on other recordings.
Then, a few years later, they collaborated with Fred on a cover of "Angry Inch" from the musical.
#fullcircle
#ilovemydad
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Reach Out and LOVE are the 2 songs on this one that reallllly bring out the b-52 vibes for me. Glad to hear I'm not losing my mind though.
 
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