New Sleater-Kinney Record
 

Since their debuts in 1995 and 1996, I think Spoon and Sleater-Kinney have put out the most consistently great records of any major indie band, with hardly a misstep for either. Well, that's changed. The new S-K record is terrible. I'm all for innovation through experimentation, but I find The Center Won't Hold to be derivative and boring. Carrie continues her cartoon-like delivery and the entire project lacks soul. The passion feels manufactured and I can see why Janet bailed. I'd like to say it's a "grower", but I know it's not. So sad.

Yeah not loving it. Oh well... there's a bunch of other great albums, including No Cities To Love

A month later and the new S-K still sucks. I've seen every S-K tour since 'Dig Me Out', but I just can't pull the trigger on tickets this time. A setlist featuring The Center Won't Hold isn't worth my time and money.

Jesus it’s not that bad.

Not brilliant, but fine.

Feeling some Kate Bush vibes at times. Title track hits.

Oh well.

Better than the Pixies, Weezer, Modest Mouse... blah blah

Wrooooong

Agreed. The new Pixies platter plays like a solid Frank Black album. Not 'Frank Black' or 'Teenager of the Year' level, but pretty freakin' solid.

Oh come on, that’s absurd.

I can’t believe I’m hearing this nonsense. New S-K is not as good as No Cities but it’s fine. Not bad by any means. New “Pixies” is more abject mediocrity.

Still wrooooooong. It's a great batch of tunes, performed in their distinct style. The SK is an overproduced mess and lacks signficant aspects which made them a great band.

Not to labour the point but... wroooong.

It’s crap and you’re delusional. Pixies are over, get over it.

And oh I forgot about those “significant aspects” ... now I’m convinced because I remember all those vague things are, like, not there or whatever.

New SK is not great but it’s nowhere near bad. And it’s a St. Vincent collaboration. The fuck was anyone expecting? For it to sound like Dig Me Out?

Change is hard, deal with it.

We don’t mind change, we mind suck.

For someone whose posts routinely contain hyperbole, you seem to not like hyperbole.

You ok, grumpy pants?

It's all been downhill since The Hot Rock anyway

I maintain that at the very least every album has been highly enjoyable with a bunch of interesting things going on. I probably find myself replaying All Hands On The Bad One the most. But The Hot Rock is wild

I’m grumpy is what!

Mmm... I think “all downhill” is pretty extreme. I mean, for us, maybe, but a lot of YOUTHS would say The Woods is their best album by far.

No Cities was a solid comeback.

This one is ... not the SK I love, but it’s not the SK I hate either. Diametrically opposed to post-Pixies “Pixies” in that respect.

It doesn’t suck. I mean, it just doesn’t. Well-produced, well-executes, well-played... Very much SK with a St. Vincent twist. Not amazing but not terrible.

I know you’re hurting because SK is effectively dead, and this was probably their last gasp, but in no way is it bad music. It’s just not what you want to hear from Sleater-Kinney.

Not really what I want to hear either, but I still like it.

This is not what’s a failure looks like.

See Pixies for that.

I've pretty much hated this music since the beginning (and before if Heavens To Betsy counts, since they drove me insane too), but I really do like how this situation hasmade it clear that drummers fucking matter and aren't somehow "more easily replaceable" than other members of a band. It's a big deal who sits on that throne.

She actually plays on the album but aside from 2 or 3 moments you can't tell because they've got her sounding like a drum machine.

But you're right, drummers matter a lot (in music that isn't 'produced' of course).

i know most people here worship the holy string fetish, but in rock and jazz, drums have always been more número uno than arnold himself (for me anyway lol)



sorry geetar aficionados, es la verdad



throne indeed

i used to love this band

now i dont even want to listen after that fist single. yikes!

Interesting that Janet cites Elvin Jones as one of her favourite drummers (as any serious drummer should haha), who is a drummer you can tell is playing on a record within the first two beats

mira qué bonito

https://youtu.be/msbg4iaW5nE

Buuuuut... Janet plays on the album.


???

I was more extrapolating on the general flap surrounding her departure. Carry on.

Lol k

Both new SK and Pixies' albums are utterly unlistenable crap, imo. Both bands are really killing their legacies trying to draw this crap out.

hahaha!

internet hi fives...

New SK is not unlistenable crap, what the fuck?

You guys are turning into old fucks man.

Cantankerous about shit. Goddamn.

It’s like a 6.5/10 maybe. Nowhere near unlistenable. Talking like it’s Imagine Dragons or some shit. Fuck me.

Haha, this made me chuckle. And fair enough, I won't put it on that level by any means. But holy shit...no...neither are worth a shit. If you wanna go a rating route, I can't do more than a fair 4/10 at most, for either.

3 songs is my limit so far. I do keep trying to give both albums a chance. I really do. I have been through each full album, starting at different spots for short bouts, but I just can not listen to either for more than 3 songs at a time. Not being dramatic or bullshitting. 3 songs in a row, and I just can't handle any more... I have to move on to something else and revisit.

i’d give them a 4 too but my threshold of listenability is above that number and so i’m skipping. tried too, but it was cringeworthy. so sorry.

the old fuck element might have something to do with it too, but only in the sense that as death approaches time becomes more precious and one is less prone to waste it trying to prove things to others.

so i’d rather spend these final hours relistening to janet’s drums on dig me out :D

(also everyone else in it, because that band was awesome in that album, but everything changes and that’s life. fortunately, we have recordings of such past glories.)

Perfect adjective.

With the release of non-album single ‘ANIMAL’, it seems S-K are admitting The Center Won’t Hold is bad. Who releases a non-album single less than two months after putting out a brand new record? Usually artists put out singles to market the new album and tour...

animal starts pretty good! then it breaks into a dumb unlistenable chorus

is that the “groundbreaking” contribution of their producer?

gimme the person who produced kim gordon’s new record instead...

There's a couple of cool guitar tones and well blended synth/guitar moments but you're right, it feels underwhelming.

For me, part of the issue is that the intense band dynamic/chemistry and high energy performance was carrying a lot of the load on SK's previous albums. Their songs (in terms of chords, melody) don't have a whole lot going on, to the point that if you played many of their songs on, say, piano and vocals... they wouldn't really work. They're a riff and performance band and they do it better than almost anyone.

And, they're also a band with a highly distinctive drummer who makes a huge contribution, which is neutered when reduced to playing drum machine parts with occasional fills.

This 'production' on the new album pretty much collapses that raucous band energy and replaces it with a kind of faux-80s new wave feel. The songs don't have the elements needed to work in that mode. It just comes across as undercooked and that they're working very hard in a mode which doesn't suit.

All my opinions of course.

This Sleater-Kinney topic is spread over at least three threads and I don't care for that one bit. Anyway, since this one involves Pixies, why haven't you fuckers mentioned Kim Shattuck?

https://news.google.com/topics/CAAqJAgKIh5DQkFTRUFvS0wyMHZNREYzYzJab01SSUNaVzRvQU FQAQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

:(:(:(

When I met Wilco's John Stirratt he told me a couple of funny stories about her. She was a true rock and roller.

@ Severian: I haven't forgotten our talk; it's just been a bad week healthwise and without internet access. Will return to that "issue".

that was, wow, almost too accurate

great explanation, really