August 2002

Sleater-Kinney: One Beat

As I sit listening to the latest release from Sleater * Kinney, I wonder why all bands can make music this glorious, this taut, this potent. On the one hand, our current pop-era most music is made by people who don't deserve the exposure and fame they have achieved; on the other, Sleater * Kinney toils and releases 12 songs that will never see the light of the mass market day, but really should. Injustice? Frankly, I would love to see America's youth lured into actually thinking by these sirens - imagine the consequences - a whole culture not being lead by the nose to the slop trough.

Lead by the punchy, backbeat of Janet Weiss's drumming, and a howling, two-guitar attack from Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, One Beat threatens to overwhelm listeners with its sonic presence. While not a departure from previous records, One Beat finds the guitars and drums equation augmented by additional instruments that only highlight Sleater * Kinney's song crafting excellence. By far the highlight of the record is the vocal work, which has singers, Tucker and Brownstein, trading wails in elegant counterpoint.

One Beat mourns death and tragedy and celebrates life in the same breath, but without that macho-rant that so many artists find themselves trapped by. Does it really take three women to finally write a song that can question what happened on September 11, without being bigoted or coming to the conclusion that America has to get out there and kick some ass. (like that kuntry krooner Toby Keith, who's xenophobic rant "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" actually encourages hate mongering. Sample lyric - 'You'll be sorry that you messed with the US of A Cause we'll put a boot in your ass it's the American way.')

The beauty of One Beat is that it is just so fucking good. I swear. Their messages don't really confront you, they just sidle up, and bam - you fucking get it. This is one of the best records released this year. It sets a standard that few people can meet let alone best. And when they come to town in October, you had better believe I am going to be there.