Sleater-Kinney: Not as good as I expected them to be

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I wanted them to be amazing. But they're....Well, they're good. I guess.

― Nowell (Nowell), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Which song or album have you listened to, Nowell? I like some of their stuff a lot but couldn't care less about other of their stuff.

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

(Although the funny thing is, probably everyone here will disagree about what the best S-K album is.)

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"the best S-K album"

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I got into them really really late even though they fit almost exactly the template of bands I adored as a teenager. I heard One Beat first and think it's fantastic - so rhythmically tight, such massive pop tunes, such conviction. Then I got All Hands On The Bad One and have listened to it maybe twice.

― The Lex (The Lex), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

The first one I heard was 'One Beat', and I liked it a lot - I like almost all the songs on that one. Then I got 'Dig Me Out', 'Call the Doctor' and 'All Hands on the Bad One'. 'Dig Me Out' and 'Call the Doctor' are supposed to be their best ones. I just like a few songs from those two.

― Nowell (Nowell), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

My favorite is The Hot Rock. I like a lot of songs on both All Hands on the Bad One and One Beat. I never listen to Dig Me Out, and I've never heard Call the Doctor.

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Saturday, 27 November 2004 00:59 (twenty-one years ago)

This is when we steer Nowell toward black metal.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay. Why not?

― Nowell (Nowell), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:02 (twenty-one years ago)

CRADLE OF FILTH

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Dig me out was the first Sleater-Kinney album I got, and it took me a long time - three years? four? - before I decided I needed another one of their records. It just didn't feel... essential, for a while. And then I picked up Call the doctor and it became my favourite record ever ever evah for a while. But 'All hands on the bad one' I've barely listened to: it really doesn't grab me that much.

xpost ugh, cradle o'filth are for pansies, everyone knows that.

― cis (cis), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:07 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost ugh, cradle o'filth are for pansies, everyone knows that.

yeah, but they're STILL GRATE!!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

My favorite is The Hot Rock by far. It's the most unique of their records - I've never heard anything else quite like it. It's a bit less shrill than the others, and more fixated on romance. I have a pretty strong sentimental attachment to "The Hot Rock," "Get Up," "Quarter To Three," "One Song For You," and "Don't Talk Like."

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, the one girl, the "main" singer - she tends to, well, how should I put it? - oversing.

― Nowell (Nowell), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

yesh... typical stupid bitches, too. whiney crap with no sense of humor and they expect you to like them because they are "smart." what a load of fucking crap.

almost as stupid as all that crap from new england.

― azz, Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Man, I SO wanted to like them. I DO like them. But I wanted there to be an all-girl band that I could really, really, really like.

― Nowell (Nowell), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Man, I SO wanted to like them. I DO like them. But I wanted there to be an all-girl band that I could really, really, really like.

Jesus fucking Christ... another fucking phag crying about stupid shit. Get a fucking life.

― killed by burger king, Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

typical stupid bitches, too. whiney crap with no sense of humor

I don't know about that, Mr. Misogyny. A lot of their songs can get pretty silly. They are pretty into telling jokes and goofing off on stage.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:27 (twenty-one years ago)

matthew perpetua otm. buy the hot rock next time you get yr heart broke and you'll understand. also i feel sorry for you that you don't like any all girl bands. you probably haven't heard many.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

They are still fuckinf stupid. No fucking doubt about that, asswipe.

― azz, Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Just give it time, Nowell. Don't sweat the details.

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

don't call lady di an asswipe!

(i still don't like sleater-kinney, tho')

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 27 November 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Dig Me Out really really rocks. Listen to it next time you feel like rocking. If you want, you could close your eyes and pretend they've got cocks.

― Sonny, Ah!!1 (Sonny A.), Saturday, 27 November 2004 02:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Everything up till that last bit is OTM.

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Saturday, 27 November 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

That last bit's sorta hot

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Saturday, 27 November 2004 02:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Sleater-Tranny

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 27 November 2004 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

But I wanted there to be an all-girl band that I could really, really, really like

this is where you go listen to the slits and the raincoats first albums.

― contribute, Saturday, 27 November 2004 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Or Scrawl.

― nickn (nickn), Saturday, 27 November 2004 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Greil Marcus-endorsed band turns out to be nothing more or less than a tedious mediocrity SHOCKER.

― Majooba, Saturday, 27 November 2004 07:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Sleater Kinney are a bore.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 27 November 2004 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)

this is where you go listen to the slits and the raincoats first albums.
Alas, the first Slits album is not all-girl. (Budgie plays drums.) Unless you're talking about the bootleg, though I'm not sure why anyone would really, really, really like that.

But this thread truly bites.

― nono, Saturday, 27 November 2004 08:22 (twenty-one years ago)

TEEH HEADCOATEES

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 27 November 2004 08:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Dig Me Out is my favorite album of the nineties.

― miccio (miccio), Saturday, 27 November 2004 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Eagerly tried on 'One Beat', LOVED the very first song, which just intensified the subsequent, complete disappointment. I can't even conceive of them making an album that isn't at least 75% dull and/or screechy.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Saturday, 27 November 2004 11:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Can't say a lot of their songs stick in my head, but the way they play 'em certainly does. Saw them live and they blew me away.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Saturday, 27 November 2004 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"screechy", oh no i hate it when girls don't sound wafty and wussy.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Saturday, 27 November 2004 21:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Perhaps the fellow who started this very interesting thread could tell us about the other times he decided in advance for reasons he can't very well explain that he wanted to like a particular band, and then listened to the band, and subsequently decided they were exactly as he had hoped they would be.

― nono, Saturday, 27 November 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost

allow me to introduce myself...
I wasn't describing the voice exclusively, it's about the synthesis; mitigating/reconciling the abrasive vocal to the music or vice versa to create listenable songs(when you have good songs to begin with, like I said I remember one, a bigger problem than anyone's failure to meet your straw man's feminine ideal any way you want to slice it) -OB was like washing Nyquil down w/ Pine Sol. Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Kate Bush/Joanna Newsom, hell Robyn Hitchcock and Bright Eyes happen to do so fairly well, SK gave me a headache, shit just happens sometimes.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Saturday, 27 November 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

ps. sorry to pull a "some of my best friends are..." but as a newbie I don't mind engaging in some PC supplication...once.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Saturday, 27 November 2004 22:42 (twenty-one years ago)

So did you listen other albums besides "One Beat," or did you simply make the deduction in your previous post ("I can't even conceive of them making an album that isn't at least 75% dull and/or screechy") w/out hearing more? Because I'm a fan, and imo "One Beat" is a dud.

― nono, Sunday, 28 November 2004 00:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw Sleater-Kinney live and had a lot of fun. I went out and bought Dig Me Out, kind of liked it, but quickly got to the point where the title track and one other song were the only ones I really liked (and I'm not sure about the one other song). The songs sound like the result of a great deal of unsuccessful effort to write some songs. I haven't heard any of their other albums, but based on three second audio clips and the sound of their albums being played on a neighbor's stereo, I'm pretty sure I'm not interested.

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 28 November 2004 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I would probably be willing to go see them live again.

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 28 November 2004 00:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I made that judgement w/o hearing any more, which shouldn't read: dismissed them forever(I can't "conceive" of a lot of things that are happening as we speak). By I was implying that they dug themselves a hole with OB and I wasn't inclined to ...wait for it...

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Sunday, 28 November 2004 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Oddly enough, I find the first and sixth post in this thread mirror my own experience just about exactly, though I started listening to S-K when they were Heavens to Betsy.

― dlp9001, Sunday, 28 November 2004 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

"the fellow". heh.

Why is it so hard to fathom how someone might not like Sleater-Kinney?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 28 November 2004 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

See, we get Nowell to stop putting autobiographical info in every post she makes and anonymous newbies have lost the plot.

― It's hard to kill a horse with a flute (AaronHz), Sunday, 28 November 2004 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Why is it so hard to fathom how someone might not like Sleater-Kinney?
It's not. But it's also not that interesting or surprising to have a band not be what you thought it would be before you heard them. And it's strange to start a thread on that topic with seemingly no desire to elaborate on the difference between what you wanted and what you found (beyond "amazing" and "good").

― nono, Sunday, 28 November 2004 05:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't find it amazing when people don't like sleater-kinney. some people who don't like sleater-kinney say funny things tho

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Sunday, 28 November 2004 06:10 (twenty-one years ago)

And it's strange to start a thread on that topic with seemingly no desire to elaborate on the difference between what you wanted and what you found.

nono, this is a Nowell thread. A thread started by a 15 year old girl, FYI.

― It's hard to kill a horse with a flute (AaronHz), Sunday, 28 November 2004 06:39 (twenty-one years ago)

ok, thx, joke's on me...

― nono, Sunday, 28 November 2004 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think the premise of the thread is strange in any way. It's pretty obvious that Nowell expected to like them, and wanted to like them, for reasons I'm sure everyone here can identify with - and this thread is just an expression of disappointment that S-K aren't exactly what she was looking for, which again I'm sure everyone can identify with.

― The Lex (The Lex), Sunday, 28 November 2004 09:42 (twenty-one years ago)

i felt the same way until I saw them live and then I learned to appreciate them a lot more. I still think they're a better live band than on record (though I like all the albums to varying degrees); they're probably the best live rock and roll band I've ever seen.

― kyle (akmonday), Sunday, 28 November 2004 10:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's face it -- Sleater-Kinney get an awful amount of love from rock-crit cogniscenti (hell, that was certainly the only reason I ever decided to listen to them -- and I was simillarly let down). You read and/or hear enough about how great a band is supposed to be, certain expectations are raised.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 28 November 2004 13:20 (twenty-one years ago)

mentally, i put sleater-kinney in w/ wilco, built to spill, modest mouse, sigur ros, etc., in the same "loved by rock critics" category even though none of them sound at all alike (and at this point not all of them remain critical favorites). w/ the notable exception of sigur ros (the most awful band to come down the pike this side of nu-metal), i don't actively HATE any of these bands so much as i am BORED by all of them. each, in their way, is why i don't have any use for indie-rock anymore.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 28 November 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Yup. Truth be told I liked Dig Me Out when it came out, especially "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" but then for some mysterious reason (believing the hype?) I kept buying album after album and being progressively underwhelmed. Really I think this thread should join forces with the Pixies vs. Smiths thread and then we will really have something.

― Ken L (Ken L), Sunday, 28 November 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

mentally, i put sleater-kinney in w/ wilco, built to spill, modest mouse, sigur ros, etc.

precisely. in other words, music that abjectly fails to rock.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 28 November 2004 14:19 (twenty-one years ago)

modest mouse
Mouse on Mars > Modest Mouse

― Ken L (Ken L), Sunday, 28 November 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Modest Martian Mouse

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 28 November 2004 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

They're one of my favorite bands, seen 'em live three times, been buying their records since '95, etc (Oh, and my quote was used for 'Call The Doctor's entry in this boards best-of-the-90s poll---whee!!!).

But yeah, I can understand how someone might not like them--Corin's (and lately, Carrie's) vocals aren't for everyone.

But that's fine. If that's all it was, it'd just be another record you gave a few spins to and decided "wasn't your thing". But what I really hate--and it's no one's fault--is the fact that raised expectaions give way to disappointment. I mean, in my case, it was a just-starting-out band with a fairly generic record sleeve on a self-titled record that I gave my $10 to on a whim, and, wow, this is really powerful. The next year, they release their second album and it blew me away.

I wasn't expecting "The best band in the world" or whatever other crap. Oh well.

I guess the point I wanted to make is this: even this still-in-love S-K fan thought that they did about 50 too many interviews two years ago for the last album...

― John 2, Sunday, 28 November 2004 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

My favorite S-K album isn't actually from S-K. It is Featuring 'Birds' from Quasi.

― Ken L (Ken L), Sunday, 28 November 2004 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

They are very good live, or were the one time I saw them. They have stage presence. They understand that they are supposed to make something happen.

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i actually AVOIDED s/k for a long time because they were a critics favorite. i suppose it was a kneejerk reactionry teenager thing on my part. but then i actually heard them and bought "dig me out", which i loved and still love.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 29 November 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Sleater-Kinney are not indie rock. They are authentic Mississippi Delta Regional Blues.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 29 November 2004 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i *heart* sleater kinney. 'one beat' is an awesome album, 'dig me out' is a fearsome breakup record. they get portrayed as being overly-serious, i guess, because they are feminists and contain lesbians (warning: contains lesbians!) but actualy they are very good fun to hang out with, and especially to go record shopping with.

― stevie (stevie), Monday, 29 November 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.femmusic.com/Reviews/images/photos/The%20Quails0005/Sleater%20Kinney0010.JPG http://bestweekever.vh1.com/equals.jpg http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~iain/GEDDY%20LEE%202.JPG

― darin (darin), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Darin, from hell's heart I stab at thee

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

― darin (darin), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I only got a few posts in, but everybody pretty much agrees that owning more than one album by them (whichever one it is) (or maybe even more than one song by them come to think of it) doesn't make a lot of sense, since they all sound the same, right? Okay, I thought so.

― sixto brown, Monday, 29 November 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway, Call the Doctor is the one to own if you really wanna know. It actually has two memorable songs on it, and maybe more! I think I might still have the one that came after that, too, but I forget why.

― sixto brown, Monday, 29 November 2004 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

doesn't make a lot of sense, since they all sound the same, right?

YOU GET THE GAS FACE. If you can't tell the difference between Call The Doctor and The Hot Rock and One Beat then you are fucking deaf.

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I think they're good enough that if you don't get that they're good, I'm not sure (against type) that I want you to get that they're good. Unless you're, say, 16. You should probably wait a few years.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Conversely, I would say that they're not nearly as good as certain folks would strenuously have you believe. They exist in a nap-friendly middleground between competent and mediocre.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

They are better than 3rd Bass, though. No argument there.

― sixto brown, Monday, 29 November 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

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