Sleater-Kinney: All Hands On The Bad One ---Ink Blot Magazine

Sleater-Kinney: All Hands On The Bad One

at a glance...

Hometown: Olympia, WA
Year Formed: 1994

Members:
Carrie Brownstein -guitar, vocals, handclaps
Corin Tucker -guitar, vocals, handclaps
Janet Weiss -drums, vocals, handclaps
Guest Musicians:
Sam Coomes -mellotron
Sarah Dougher -organ, handclaps
Larry Crane -handclaps

Bands In The Family:
Cadallaca, Quasi, The Spells, Heavens To Betsy, Excuse 17, Tommy, Heartless Martin, Junior High, Cold Cold Hearts, 99, Sarah Dougher, Helium, Team Dresch, Lois Maffeo, The Go-Betweens

Notes:
The three members of Sleater-Kinney formed the band after playing in other Northwest indie acts such as Heavens To Betsy and Excuse 17, naming themselves after the street they practiced on. Carrie and Corin first met in 1992, when Carrie, a classically trained pianist, was inspired by Corin and other local, musicians to start a band herself. Lora MacFarlane joined in on drums in late 1994. They released a self-titled record in 1995 and Call The Doctor in 1996 on Chainsaw Records, before replacing Lora with Janet Weiss (of Quasi) and moving to Kill Rock Stars for Dig Me Out (1997), and The Hot Rock (1999). All Hands On The Bad One is their latest release.

Sleater-Kinney
All Hands On The Bad One
Kill Rock Stars, Released 2000

Combining the angular and explosive attack of Unwound, Fugazi, Slant 6, and Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney dish out some serious rock music with attitude. With attitude! If you didn't know it already, Sleater-Kinney are three kick-ass, pro-feminist, political activists. In lieu of me filling this review with my words, I'll let Sleater-Kinney flesh out a day in their world in their own words.

"Nothing I do smoothes out the feelings of being used..." - "But I gotta rock!" So watch out - "When you fall you will fall the hardest" and "You can't go to heaven with a three chord song." You know, "Daddy says I got my mama's mouth, I'm all about a forked tongue and a dirty house," whereas "all the boys in the band know how to get down, fill our Christmas socks with whiskey drinks and chocolate bars." These days, "my inspiration rests, In-between my beauty magazines and my credit card bills." Remember, "There is a sound they don't want you to hear" and "I want a day not made for you to see." You can "Go back and tear the pictures from the page, it's time for a new rock n' roll age," but "You can't breathe life back into a lie."

All Hands... takes on difficult issues, and dares the trio to look at themselves critically too. I highly recommend this album - musically, politically, aesthetically, thematically - you name it. If you're a woman in today's tweaked world, this is required listening. Thank you, Sleater-Kinney, for doing what you do.

If you like Sleater-Kinney, check out:
Sleater-Kinney The Hot Rock
Lois Maffeo and Brendan Canty The Union Themes
Unwound Challenge For A Civilized Society
Slant 6 Soda Pop Rip-Off
The Supremes Come See About Me
Helium Pirate Prude
Blonde Redhead In An Expression Of The Inexpressible

--Lars Rosenblum Sorgenfrei

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