Customer Reviews

Hot Rock

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Glad to see others thought so - i'd hate to have an isolated opinion on something.

Get up was the song i heard on CMJ's collection that sold me on SK. I think the whole album is priceless - $12 at the concert was therefore a good deal.

They're very tight live - play their asses off.

this band has a cute singer, Corina with chipmunk cheeks. She sounds like Belinda Carlile. I just want to pinch her cheeks!!

By the release of "The Hot Rock" in '99, it was clear that Sleater-Kinney had arrived at an unprescedentedly intricate sonic asthetic; contrapuntal and angular, yet ferociously contained, thier attack lies in the constant tension between the band's two stellar leads--listening to Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker sing thier often conflicting lines simultaneously is to be privy to a fascinating, constantly evolving relationship, one where the urge to support and celebrate one another is continually challenged by a dynamic in which each little bit of emotional real estate that's offered as a gesture of compromise is burdened with world-historic import. Of coarse, all this staggeringly cerebral conceptual metaphor slinging would be dull as door knobs if it weren't for the band's talent as musicians and songwriters; that S-K can cram enough of this stuff to fullfill several senior thesis requirements into music so gloriously engaging, kinetic, and just plain rockin' is a testament to just how important this band is. Few have operated so proficiently on simultaneous levels of chops, content and execution. As a guitarist, Carrie Brownstein has more chops than Paul Bunyon, creating the most arresting, original guitar sound since Peter Buck or The Edge (or Pete Townshend, or Tom Verlain--pick one, the point is, the woman's GOOD) Rarely playing anything that resembles a traditional riff, her arsenal of quicksilver leads and choppy, percussive arpeggios give S-K's music and incredibly elastic, unpredictable quality the makes their records among the most listenable in rock. Corin Tucker, on the other hand, is mostly voice, but what a voice it is--a riveting, ennervating force of nature that gives visceral physicality and unforgettable conviction to her lyrics. She may have the best set of pipes in rock. Then there's Janet Weiss--not doubt one the best drummers in rock, slamming all this stunning musicianship into orbit with unshakable consistancy. You can hear all this loud and clear on "The Hot Rock", and if this album lacks the breathless rush of thier previous effort, "Dig Me Out", well, that's only disappointing if you expected them to reinvigorate rock twice in a row. On this record, the band intorduces several directions they could go in, and they're all thrilling to contemplate---"Start Together" is a surging anthem, so full to bursting with righteous conviction and sure-footed authority they could sustain an entire album of these(others in this vien include the blistering "God Is A Number", where Corin nearly turns her voice inside-out, and "The End Of You" an impossibly ingenious song that equates navigating the music biz on a tiny, proud indie label with pirates on the open sea.) Contrasting this angle are bracingly subdued songs like the aching "Don't Talk Like", with lines like "there's a part of me/ that works just like a child" aiming strait for the heart strings, and "The Size of Our Love", sung by Carrie, that takes on the tricky subject of love and faithfulness in the face of death with out a hint of cliche or sentitiousness. "Burn, Don't Freeze" is head-spinningly complex, "Banned From The End Of The World" is infectiously bouncy, and "Memorize Your Lines" is stunningly evocative, with a lush bed of cellos and florid, almost gothic atmosphere. "One Song For You" throws a perfect little temper tantrum at the end, with the band revving up behind Corin as she drops the kiss-off line of the century, educated-punk-grrl division: "drop little boy crumbs you could follow back/ when you get lost becoming a man." Ouch, Corin. Very ouch. The other songs that I haven't specifically drooled over are great, as well. Suffice it to say that this record [isn't bad].

The songs that led me to buy this album were "Memorize Your Lines", "A Quarter to Three", and "Burn, Don't Freeze". When I heard the other songs I found that the album gets better with every listen. Two songs that really stand out after repeated listens are "Get Up" and "The Size of our Love". The interaction between the two guitars and the two lead vocals is really unique. This is what real rock is supposed to be, not the garbage MTV feeds you. Not signing to a major label was the best decision they could have made as a group. A major label would have turned them into something totally different. People that say rock is dead just aren't looking hard enough. Give this album a chance, you will not be disappointed.

This is my personal fav. Sleater-Kinney C.D. I just love it. Every song is good to rock out to. Everyone will and should love this CD!

I have to admit, I understand why some people thought Sleater-Kinney sold out during the Hot Rock period - suddenly, they were more preened, less political, less angry. Still, that's a superficial judgment in many ways, and while I can't pretend that The Hot Rock will ever mean as much to me as Call the Doctor, Sleater-Kinney still have much to offer the listener - they're just selling different wares. This is a more opaque, idiosyncratic record, more inward-looking, less immediate. It's also more self-consciously arty and experimental than the previous records, which were mainly in the spirit of that old "3-chords and the Truth" punk rock ideal. The results of this metamorphosis are mixed - "Get Up" has to be one of the strangest and the most transcendent songs the band has written, with lyrics that teeter precariously toward pretension and earth-mother embarrassment, but somehow, just somehow, come across as pure beauty within the context of the music. Songs like "The Hot Rock" and "Memorize Your Lines" have a jangly, unusual charm that grows on you with each listen. "Start Together", "The End of You" and "One Song For You" are all irresistible rock songs. "The Size of Our Love" scores high in the lyrical originality stakes, although I oscillate between loving Carrie's girly coo and finding it slightly irritating.

But, but, but...why can't I embrace this as much as earlier albums? I suppose it's because I never really wanted Sleater-Kinney to make an indie art record - I didn't care about their poetic ramblings, or their sonic experiments. From them, I just wanted rawness and euphoria. But, hey, even if indie quirkiness is a dime a dozen, Sleater-Kinney's brand has its virtues, even if, for me, there's nothing on this album to rival the excoriating power of a song like "Little Mouth" or the bliss of "Turn It On."

A long time fan of Sleater Kinney, I deem this to be the band's finest album. Though I often struggle between which album I like better, this one or Dig Me Out, I think this album is more multi-purpose. It rocks really hard, AND the way the tracks fit together give it a really dynamic purpose. This album is one of those albums you dont get sick of. ...I can't pin point one song I like the most because each song really gives way to the next one on the album. This album proves that Sleater Kinney still had it post Dig Me Out and had it long before One Beat was released.

Unfortunately for S-K, I bought this cd on the same day as their latest release, One Beat, and virtually ignored One Beat in favor of this one! I truly have not stopped listening to this since I got it in August, it's that good!In fact, I think it's their best to date(yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, better than Dig Me Out and All Hands On The Bad One!)Since seeing them in Chicago I have a new found respect for One Beat, but this cd just blows me away! The funny thing is is that I have always heard rumblings that this is their weakest cd, and I just don't get that at all...it's a masterpiece! I love these chicks so much! Sleater- Kinney are too cool and you need to experience this cd right now!

After hearing a review of this CD on NPR I pick it up and it has been in heavy rotation onmy CD player ever since (almost 3 years). Its funny but I don't analyze the songs I just find them very mellow for me at work. I do love the interplay of the guitars, much more nimble and and lighter than the classic southern rock approach.

"I am not the captain/I am just another fan" sings Corin Tucker in "The End of You",the third track of the Hot Rock, and this statement perfectly epitomizes Sleater-Kinney's approach to making records: keep playing awesome music, not for the money or the fame or the record companies, but because you honestly love it. Taking into account this DIY-ethos, one can't help but be in awe of the superb craftmanship of The Hot Rock. Produced by Roger Moutenot, it has a decidedly different tone than the other S-K records. Whereas AHOTBO and Dig Me Out are full-frontal sonic assaults, the Hot Rock is much more obtuse, with guitar lines intertwining like vines and dual vocals so different that Corin's wales eventually seem to become shadowed by Carrie's hushed whispers. From the giddy "Get Up" single to full on punk love song "One Song For You", the Hot Rock is by far one of not only Sleater-Kinney's best, but rock and roll's as well.