The Last Beat.
It's a... bittersweet (I hate that word, but it was the best I could grasp at the moment) event when your favorite band breaks up. While I'm glad that Sleater-Kinney never had to go through the embarrassing aging process the likes of The Rolling Stones and U2 went through, I also have to accept that there is very little chance of new material from them in the future.
I am saddened that I will likely not ever see them live again, but I take comfort in the fact that I did get to see them live on two occaisions, one of them being the single greatest live music experience in my life. I am also glad that they go out at the undisputable top of their game. One Beat is their best album, and they lost very little of that momentum on The Woods.
There are so many reasons I love this band, it's difficult to nail down a specific one. They had plenty of the balls-out defiance that appeals to me in tracks like "Youth Decay", "Words and Guitar", and "Step Aside". They had a knack for portraying the end of a relationship with a certain visceral beauty, most evident in "One More Hour". They touted causes, but posessed the maturity to self-scrutinize and re-evaluate themselves constantly while doing it, with "Ballad of a Ladyman" and "#1 Must Have" being the best examples of this. Nearly the entire album of The Woods proved they weren't afraid to draw a line in the sand and challenge people to really think about the music they listened to, including Sleater-Kinney's own. They even had room for good, fun rock-outs with "Oh", "Milkshake N' Honey", and "You're No Rock'n Roll Fun".
But the thing that appeals to me the most, I believe, is their unswavering honesty and humanity. It's very difficult these days to find someone who sings about what hurts, andgers, or scares them with any amount of honesty or lack of pretense and show. Coupled with their instrumental talents, it makes songs like "The Swimmer", "Pompeii", "Sympathy", and "The End of You" absolutely gorgeous.
They were definately a band that grew with time. Most of the tracks I mentioned are from later in their careers. Their early work has some undeniable classics, but they were a band that took a little bit to find their groove. When they did, though, it was fucking something.
I really have no idea how many people still actually read this, but for those of you who aren't familiar with the band yet, some tracks other than those mentioned I also highly recommend are "Light Rail Cyote", "Hollywood Ending", "Jumpers", "Entertain", "Turn It On", and "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone".
"Step Aside"
Sleater Kinney
From the album One Beat
Will you come knocking on my door?
Pull me pick me off the floor
I might need something to get me going
Feel it one time
IT ROLLS dig it
When I feel worn out when I feel beaten
Like a used up shoe or a cake half-eaten
There's only one way to keep on feeling
Move it up one time
IN TIME dig it
This mama works till her back is sore
But the baby's fed and the tunes are pure
So you'd better get your feet on the floor
Move it up one time TO THE BEAT
These times are troubled these times are rough
There's more to come but you can't give up
Why don't you shake a tail for peace and love
Move it up one time FOR LOVE
JANET CARRIE CAN YOU FEEL IT
Knife through the heart of our exploitation
LADIES ONE TIME CAN YOU HEAR IT
Disassemble our discrimination
When violence rules the world outside
And the headlines make me want to cry
Its not the time to just keep quiet
Speak up one time TO THE BEAT
I am saddened that I will likely not ever see them live again, but I take comfort in the fact that I did get to see them live on two occaisions, one of them being the single greatest live music experience in my life. I am also glad that they go out at the undisputable top of their game. One Beat is their best album, and they lost very little of that momentum on The Woods.
There are so many reasons I love this band, it's difficult to nail down a specific one. They had plenty of the balls-out defiance that appeals to me in tracks like "Youth Decay", "Words and Guitar", and "Step Aside". They had a knack for portraying the end of a relationship with a certain visceral beauty, most evident in "One More Hour". They touted causes, but posessed the maturity to self-scrutinize and re-evaluate themselves constantly while doing it, with "Ballad of a Ladyman" and "#1 Must Have" being the best examples of this. Nearly the entire album of The Woods proved they weren't afraid to draw a line in the sand and challenge people to really think about the music they listened to, including Sleater-Kinney's own. They even had room for good, fun rock-outs with "Oh", "Milkshake N' Honey", and "You're No Rock'n Roll Fun".
But the thing that appeals to me the most, I believe, is their unswavering honesty and humanity. It's very difficult these days to find someone who sings about what hurts, andgers, or scares them with any amount of honesty or lack of pretense and show. Coupled with their instrumental talents, it makes songs like "The Swimmer", "Pompeii", "Sympathy", and "The End of You" absolutely gorgeous.
They were definately a band that grew with time. Most of the tracks I mentioned are from later in their careers. Their early work has some undeniable classics, but they were a band that took a little bit to find their groove. When they did, though, it was fucking something.
I really have no idea how many people still actually read this, but for those of you who aren't familiar with the band yet, some tracks other than those mentioned I also highly recommend are "Light Rail Cyote", "Hollywood Ending", "Jumpers", "Entertain", "Turn It On", and "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone".
"Step Aside"
Sleater Kinney
From the album One Beat
Will you come knocking on my door?
Pull me pick me off the floor
I might need something to get me going
Feel it one time
IT ROLLS dig it
When I feel worn out when I feel beaten
Like a used up shoe or a cake half-eaten
There's only one way to keep on feeling
Move it up one time
IN TIME dig it
This mama works till her back is sore
But the baby's fed and the tunes are pure
So you'd better get your feet on the floor
Move it up one time TO THE BEAT
These times are troubled these times are rough
There's more to come but you can't give up
Why don't you shake a tail for peace and love
Move it up one time FOR LOVE
JANET CARRIE CAN YOU FEEL IT
Knife through the heart of our exploitation
LADIES ONE TIME CAN YOU HEAR IT
Disassemble our discrimination
When violence rules the world outside
And the headlines make me want to cry
Its not the time to just keep quiet
Speak up one time TO THE BEAT