"Are you hungry? Did you eat before the POLL?"_ILM Artist Poll #51_SLEATER-KINNEY (VOTING ENDS Tuesday April 22nd at Midnight CST)

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/73/223213001_d889e01de7_z.jpg

http://www.killrockstars.com/files/styles/artist_page_full/public/artist-photos/sk-cropped_0.jpg

Nineteen years ago they burst onto the scene, and by the time of their 2nd album, they were sitting at #3 on Pazz & Jop. About five years after later, #1 Fan Greil Marcus named them the “Best Band In America” in a special issue of Time magazine. They hung it up in 2006, but since then, there’s been solo albums, side player gigs, a supergroup, blogs, and a popular cable network sketch comedy series. However, today Sleater-Kinney receives the ultimate honor...

AN ILM ARTIST POLL!

Ballot part one (mandatory): Your Top 20 Sleater-Kinney tracks. Usual scoring method will be applied. Please order your list with your #1 at the top and #20 at the bottom. That’s how I read them.

Standard ILX poll allocation in effect: 1:40, 2:36, 3:33, 4:30, 5:28, 6:26, 7:25, 8:24, 9:23, 10:22, 11:21, 12:20, 13:19, 14:18, 15:17, 16:16, 17:15, 18:14, 19:13, 20:12

SPECIAL NOTE: “Let’s Call It Love” & “Night Light” will be counted as ONE track.

Ballot part two (optional): Your Top 10 non-SK Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss, and Lora MacFarlane tracks. Here’s where we dip into the pre-, post-, and generally outside of SK history by looking at and ranking the best of Excuse 17, Heavens To Betsy, The Spells, Cadallaca, Quasi, ninetynine, Wild Flag, and The Corin Tucker Band. Hell, we’ll even recognize the Portlandia songs. List them 1-10, like this:

1. Forever Fired (Excuse 17)
2. Thrift Store Coats (Corin Tucker Band)
3. Manga Girl Cut (ninetynine)
4. Tomorrow You’ll Hide (Quasi)
5. Allergy Pride Parade Song (Portlandia)...

The first half of normal points allocation is in effect for this segment.

Ballot part three (optional): Your Top 5 Sleater-Kinney and/or non-SK Tucker/Brownstein albums. Name your honor roll in a list of 1-5 (points going #1:5 points, #2:4...).

Ballot part four (optional): Your Top 5 WORST Sleater-Kinney and/or non-SK Tucker/Brownstein/Weiss/MacFarlane tracks. They couldn’t have been all that all the time now, could they? Name the worst offenders in a list of 1-5 (points weight same as part three).

For Reference:

Sleater-Kinney discography
Corin Tucker career overview
Carrie Brownstein career overview
Janet Weiss career overview
Lora MacFarlane career overview

When You’re Done:

Send ballots to ilxsleaterkinneypoll AT gmail dot com. Please include your ILM/ILX user name in the subject line.

*Deadline for voting will be Tuesday April 22nd at Midnight CST*

Excited for this. S-K were always one of those bands that I liked while never getting all that passionate about them, so I get the feeling that I may have had a tendency to underrate their albums at the time. Looking forward to revisiting them.

Will probably sit the side polls out, as I don't know much of the non-S-K stuff. Like, my top 10 non-S-K ballot would just be the track listing of the Wild Flag record.

good job setting up this one, C. Grisso/McCain.

Thanks!

I got a cheap copy of the Heavens To Betsy album in the mail today. This track owns: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lWsii1n0pCY

Damn I'm going to have revisit some stuff for the albums side poll cos they only have 7 albums.

Will certain live covers be admissible?

And a couple b-sides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BSqimn4cws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm6cfAlbbCE

awesome! this is going to be the rare kind of artist poll where i'm just going to shoot

awesome! this is going to be the rare kind of artist poll where i'm just going to shoot 100% from the gut and go with what feels right in terms of my individual responses to the songs, not be swayed by how the dust might have settled in a broader sense.

There are more than 20 tracks on Call the Doctor-Dig Me Out-The Hot Rock, so that means this is already hard without even bringing in the other four albums.

wonder what Don 'n' Glenn think of them!

I think I have whiplash after switching from Gaucho to Call the Doctor

ooh, I'm very interested in seeing the results of the optional polls too. I have a bunch of S-K-adjacent albums from the days when I needed to burn off eMusic credits before the end of the month, but I haven't given them as much time as S-K proper.

main poll itself will be a nightmare for me, no idea how I'm narrow it down to 20.

Yeah, I'm sitting here thinking, "After I list everything on Dig Me Out and Call the Doctor I'm going to be out of slots . . ."

CTD is awesome despite the drumming letting it down (I got to it years after Janet Weiss spoiled me).

DON: What-Kinney? What the kind of name is that? And Griel Marcus loves 'em? Sounds like not enough west coast intellectualism and too much east coast soul for me. At least they were anti-Bush.

GLENN: One of my kids told me one time during lunch at my place in Coldwater Canyon that a couple of 'em used to date! So in one way, they were pro-bu--

DON: Well, yeah.

I rarely listen to them anymore, but they were my favorite band of the 2nd half of the 90s. I probably saw them 15 times. The most underrated record in their catalog is One Beat.

always got the feeling crits weren't too high on all hands on the bad one. x'gau wasn't as crazy for it as he was for their others (who cares, i know) but i have NO idea what he's getting at in his review of it.

One Beat underrated? I remember that record being heralded as their "return to form" after "The Hot Rock" (imo their most underrated record) and "All Hands on the Bad One."

I found All Hands disappointing, but One Beat is probably my favorite.

The Woods might've been my fave if it wasn't so unlistenably mastered.

Maybe One Beat is underrated on ILX? I think ILX consensus rotates more around the DMO and THR axis -- we'll find out soon enough!

at the time i encountered one beat as a chore, checked out then

I wish they'd release a live album. Hard to believe they've been gone for nearly a decade.

i love love love all hands and one beat and the general somewhat more laid back straight forward nature they have but i do kinda regret they took that break after hot rock (albeit for totally understandable reasons), really felt they had a kind of break through w/ that record and found a really interesting sound, would've loved to hear that era s-k cover 'see no evil'.

Good discussion: All Hands on the Bad POLL - Sleater Kinney

The Hot Rock was one of the last albums I copied on cassette and the first S-K album I didn't buy the week of its release. I was not at all in that head space in early '99. It took fall '00 and driving around with these two girlfriends who adored THR and playing "Get Up" and "Burn Don't Freeze" over and over.

Brownstein on the inspiration for THR:

After the performance, we were lucky enough to meet them. We ended up back at the Phoenix Hotel, half of us on mattresses, the rest of us on the floor, guitars and beers out. I asked Grant to teach me The Go-Betweens' song "Love Goes On," and I played the chords while he sang. I cannot overstate the generosity of this moment. Later that night, I told Robert that my band's album The Hot Rock — or at least my own writing and guitar playing on it — was inspired completely by their music. Before The Go-Betweens, I never thought that delicacy could wield sharp knives

love basically all their albums but 'the hot rock' is definitely the standout for me, feels like both the gentlest and most genuinely felt work they ever did. 'all hands' is my sentimental favorite because it was my first, 'one beat' i probably anticipated more than any other album ever just cause it came out at the height of my fandom but some of the lyrics make me cringe a bit now. it was a different time. 'the woods' i haven't listened to in years, probably time for a revisit.

Something I never really thought about before, and now find amazing as I look at the cd booklets and wiki, is how fast they worked and grew during the first part of their career. By all accounts, the debut was tossed off as a side project whim in Australia in '95. Then they get serious and the same band makes Call The Doctor later that year, and then Weiss comes in to replace MacFarlane in the slightly over a year gap between those sessions and the ones for Dig Me Out, which when released (only a few weeks past a year from the drop date for CTD, which--incidentally--is the very next entry in Chainsaw catalog after the debut) is the one that really establishes them (lead review in Spin etc.). Now a year and a half passes after those sessions before The Hot Rock is recorded, and a then there is a slightly shorter break before All Hands... is laid down, and it's only then that they take a studio break of any significant length, which turns out to be a little over two years wherein Tucker gets married and has a child.

And this is not even figuring in that Cadallaca, The Spells, and a few Quasi albums where also happening in the same time frame.

It's interesting how their steadily escalating profile makes it possible and even likely that people got on board at just about any point. Because they never had an actual hit, people were still discovering them right up through The Woods. I got snagged by the hype around Dig Me Out, which for me is still ground zero. But I can understand loving One Beat or All Hands if that was the point you found them. For me the albums after The Hot Rock are lesser but with lots of highlights. I could easily make up a 20-song ballot solely from the last three records. Which is to say, they were pretty great.

Also, delicacy wielding sharp knives is a great description of the guitar textures on The Hot Rock.

I love The Hot Rock most of all their records, and glad to see the love for it here! I was not aware until reading this thread that it was held in high esteem, as the critical view at the time seemed lukewarm compared to their previous two records.

god i forgot how dire the lyrics to 'combat rock' were. such a specific protest song, it hasn't aged well at all.

also even for sk shredding i forgot how much little mouth shreds

is there any other song they did that feels so much like they're chasing after their own sounds?

The Woods/The Hot Rock/Call the Doctor/One Beat/Dig Me Out/All Hands On the Bad One/s/t tho tbh I tend to forget that one even exists, tho I own it

The first two cuts on the debut are contenders for my ballot.

Looking at the tracklist yeah there's some good stuff on it, but some it (A Real Man eg) is p awful. I should hear it again tho, after all it's like 20 mins long

My initial list had 23. The surprise so far is how the albums shaked out, going in I would have thought One Beat was my favorite, but there's Dig Me Out with 8 (!) tracks in my top 20ish.

The other surprise is what a bust AHOTBO is, aside from the title track and YNRRF it's pretty awful.

god i forgot how dire the lyrics to 'combat rock' were. such a specific protest song, it hasn't aged well at all.

― wat is teh waht (s.clover), Wednesday, April 9, 2014 12:58 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I actually think it's aged much better than "Far Away." But my memories of "Combat Rock" are tied to the last S-K show I saw, in early 2003 about two days before the massive worldwide antiwar protests. This song had everyone completely raging and bouncing off the walls; it felt like the building would explode. I've never experienced anything like it at a concert (or anywhere else) before or since. So, maybe it'll be for sentimental reasons (and maybe not), but "Combat Rock" will likely be near the top of my ballot.

I think protest songs're allowed to be specific tbh

The more specific a protest song -- like most things -- the better.

I saw them at two Chicago shows in fall '02 (the Quails opened): two of the most galvanic performances I've seen. They covered Springsteen's "The Promised Land." Months later they opened for Pearl Jam. The amphitheater setting diffused much of their power, as did the guys in front of me sniggering, "Who are the dikes?"

I think protest songs're allowed to be specific tbh

― sonic thedgehod (albvivertine), Wednesday, April 9, 2014 9:41 AM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This; and not only is it still relevant/does it still apply, but like all great protest songs, the specifics speak to the larger issues.

I got on board a little before they released One Beat, but the first album I listened to was Call the Doctor -- title track's power, not to mention Corin's singing, still gets me -- and then Dig Me Out. (It may have been josh blog that tipped me to them!) And yeah, it's staggering how quickly their songwriting matured from the debut to their second album -- which is great! -- to their third which for me is where they hit their mature sound.

The other surprise is what a bust AHOTBO is, aside from the title track and YNRRF it's pretty awful.

I like All Hands, but I realized upon starting my long-list that I appreciate it more as a whole entity than broken up into individual songs.

also even for sk shredding i forgot how much little mouth shreds

― wat is teh waht (s.clover), Tuesday, April 8, 2014 10:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Revisiting their discography for the poll, this struck me too. The "damaged goods/you wanna try her" section is so tense and powerful.

I think all their records are great, but THR and CTD really stand head and shoulders above the rest for me, such that it'd be easy for me to make 85% of my poll songs from those two records. Revisiting the whole discography will probably give me a more balanced view tho

I link them in my brain with Low, another band with a strong "core" sound that goes through a lot of big sonic shifts. Probably it helps that they both have distinct, unmistakable vocal pairings. (And both of them have hugely divisive Dave Fridmann-produced albums.)

I've actually warmed up a lot to The Woods! I forget what it was that brought me over to it, but I expect that it's going to occupy quite a lot of my ballot along with the usual suspects.

I am on record as being pro-The Woods. That first time hearing "The Fox" kick in, goddamn.

I revisited parts of The Woods last night and more than I initially thought will likely make my ballot.

But arrrg that fucking brickwalled mastering...

(also, A+ display name, Leee!)

xp

see now "Entertain" is the worst song they wrote

I still get annoyed when I remember the Stylus review saying something about how the sound/mastering was too macho to effectively battle patriarchy or some shit. xp

Hah, that and "Modern Girl" are on my shortlist. xp

(Thanks, Tarfumes!)

From that Stylus Review, with the line in question in bold:

That the band cuts out some of the chaff of “Entertain” when they join the rank and file on our TV dial is only the latest example of S-K revealing just how unaware they are. You can’t upend the patriarchy while emulating the Who. Begging people to not listen to your music without the artwork while sending liner-free promos out four months in advance is a joke and it’s absurd to decry entertainers while having people pay to watch your increasingly jam-filled performances. The tension between desire and reality has always been the band’s source of power, but residual affection aside, their woes are becoming pathological and the last thing we need are more preening rock gods demanding our sympathy, male or female.

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/sleater-kinney/the-woods.htm

da croupier, get in here!

Such a weird, misguided paragraph.

You can’t upend the patriarchy while emulating the Who.

I just can't fucking even...

it’s absurd to decry entertainers while having people pay to watch your increasingly jam-filled performances.

That doesn't even make any sense.

(not that the Who line made any goddamn sense)

Which reminds me, the other highlight of the '03 show I saw was the unexpected (to me, but I'd only seen them once before, in 2000), overwhelming, and distinctly Live at Leeds-esque excursion near the end.

I think protest songs're allowed to be specific tbh

― sonic thedgehod (albvivertine), Wednesday, April 9, 2014 9:41 AM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This; and not only is it still relevant/does it still apply, but like all great protest songs, the specifics speak to the larger issues.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, April 9, 2014 10:07 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Where is the questioning where is the protest song? /
Since when is skepticism un-American? /
Dissent’s not treason but they talk like it’s the same /
Those who disagree are afraid to show their face

this is precisely my problem -- its about this oddly specific moment when it felt like saying anything at all was forbidden, and flags were hanging out of every window and nobody could question.

and all it really said was "hey i'm questioning but look hi everyone i'm just expressing skepticism and that's not un-American and i'm not a traitor" which is like the worst rallying cry ever.

its a timid track, which is masked by the strength of the music. but the further away from the moment we are, the more obvious how little ambition it expressed.

here's what i wrote at the time (yikes!)

The no-new-wavisms reach their turbulent peak on “Combat Rock” which minces around the spirit of a protest song in shrill pantomime invocations well executed enough to make me feel complicit in things which I had nothing to do with. Corin sings something about oil and machines but mainly we get the sense she’s put out because she’s told she can’t dissent. That the new world order provides opportunities for rebellion for the hell of it on a new and broader plane, and she’s damn pissed off she’s gonna have to be the one to write a song about it. Because in the final analysis the political is political and the truth of the matter is the personal should stay the heck out of it. But don’t tell that to Corin, who’ll just sing louder.

really their first NPR-ready work :-(

(also this reminded me of a track that not only didn't age well, but didn't start well -- Le Tigre's "new kicks". its pretty stunning how poorly the 90s' politics of the personal failed to translate, aesthetically, when dealing with big world events)

(their covers of fortunate son were a much better approach to this stuff, imho)

(xxposts, i also made a who comparison, which makes total sense, but considered it an obvious positive)

(their covers of fortunate son were a much better approach to this stuff, imho)

Grisso, are we allowed to vote for "Fortunate Son," or actual releases only?

I am on record as being pro-The Woods. That first time hearing "The Fox" kick in, goddamn.

― Simon H., Wednesday, April 9, 2014 12:55 PM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh yes. That was probably the last time I did the whole "go and hang out at the record store to buy the album at midnight" thing (not that I haven't wanted to since, but the custom just went away), and I still vividly remember getting home and popping in the cd for the first time. I'd managed to avoid hearing any of the music in advance, but I'd read some stuff. Still, nothing could prepare me for...that.

Related: Eddie Vedder being embarrassing interviewing Sleater-Kinney for Magnet upon the release of The Woods

XP If you want to vote for the covers, cool. "Fortunate Son" was eligible any way, as a recording of it was featured on the charity comp Wed-Rock: A Benefit for Freedom To Marry.

Oh! Thanks.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61qKa10EPTL._SY300_.jpg

Looks like I have some further investigating to do! :D

Speaking of their covers, this rules:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyZ0tBqOqTA

this is precisely my problem -- its about this oddly specific moment when it felt like saying anything at all was forbidden, and flags were hanging out of every window and nobody could question.

This wasn't the first time that had happened, not by a long shot, and likely won't be the last.

and all it really said was "hey i'm questioning but look hi everyone i'm just expressing skepticism and that's not un-American and i'm not a traitor" which is like the worst rallying cry ever.

That one line -- "Since when is skepticism un-American?" -- is easily the weakest, granted.

its a timid track, which is masked by the strength of the music. but the further away from the moment we are, the more obvious how little ambition it expressed.

here's what i wrote at the time (yikes!)

I think you want the song to be something it's not trying to be. It's not (entirely) a Clashy stirring rallying cry; it's trying to work through some shit on its way there.

The delivery on the "skepticism" line doesn't do it any favors, either.

It's the lyrical equivalent of this fucking thing:
http://i1.cpcache.com/product/13993015/american_flag_peace_sign_tree_ornament.jpg?height=240&width=240

Relevant (from the interview I posted upthread):

Vedder: OK, I wanted to share something with you. It's 2003, a year before the elections. This is when it's not so popular to be wearing a peace sign on your sleeve or speaking out against the war in Iraq. And you saw the Dixie Chicks and then us thrown on the fire as not being patriotic. All of a sudden, Pearl Jam was part of the "activists of evil." As Pearl Jam and Sleater-Kinney were going through Oklahoma, or wherever we were, at the end of the show we'd play "Rockin' In The Free World." I remember the music still going and I was holding hands with Corin, and with our other hands we were flaring out the peace sign. There were a lot of people in the crowd who seemed offended by it, and I remember - and Corin, I never told yo this at the time, because I wanted to keep doing it - being afraid that something bad was going to happen. That you would be assassinated, or you'd be holding the hand of someone being assassinated. I felt really incredibly vulnerable up there. Do you remember how you were feeling at the time?

Tucker: I remember being so blown away at our first show with you guys in Denver. And it was the first week of the war. We got up in Denver and blabbed about the war and were booed by about 10,000 people. It was really shocking. I felt like I was suddenly six years old and taking a really hard, cold slap to the face. But it made me really angry, and anger for me can override anything. The fear is secondary to that feeling of "shut up." That's what I felt like at that moment: someone saying "shut up" to me. And I was like, "OK, now you're really asking for it." I would try to think about creative ways to say something during those shows when things were so tense. And there's also the feeling of, "OK, we're going to get fired. Someone's going to fire us." [Laughter] Not you.

Vedder: Someone higher up. [Laughter]

Tucker: But what was going on in the world was so awful that I can't imagine performing in front of all those people and not saying something. And I couldn't imagine you not doing it, either. And you did it every night to people who were so angry. It just has to come up, because you are relating to these people honestly.

Vedder: I was particularly energized by the solidarity. It wouldn't have been the same without all you guys up there, and to be able to hold your hand and stand together, it was like, "smile it. I'll take the bullet. This is important." So Sleater-Kinney will be on tour before Pearl Jam is, and you'll be facing a country that failed to do its civic duty to educate itself and vote properly in this last election. Do you hold it against a certain state, like Ohio, before you even get there?

Tucker: I think the people who come to see us are the ones who are like, "Man, this country is fucked." There's not gonna be a lot of Republicans coming to see Sleater-Kinney. Maybe a few, and they might write on the Internet, "We're so annoyed that you're so vocal about these things. But we still like your music."

Brownstein: At a Sleater-Kinney show, there's a slightly more homogenous political atmosphere. Which, in some ways, is frustrating. At a Pearl Jam show, there is that danger of playing and talking in front of people who have different views than you. That really drove the writing on this record. It's scary to get bigger, but there's something exciting about realizing that maybe your music is transcending something and you're not just preaching to the converted. If you say something pro- or anti- a certain politican, you might be met with resistance. Resistance isn't necessarily a bad thing for art. In some ways, it fuels it.

Tucker: That's what's so great about Pearl Jam: You actually have the possibility of asking someone to think in a different way than they might. That's what rock 'n' roll used to be. People would do things that were crazy and would upset people.

to be fair lots of us male critics wrote dumb or garbled shit about SK, including me.

this is precisely my problem -- its about this oddly specific moment when it felt like saying anything at all was forbidden, and flags were hanging out of every window and nobody could question.

well yeah but as responses go, compare e.g. phil ochs "i'm going to say it now."

"And I know that you were younger once 'cause you sure are older now / And when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now."

that's how it's done.

ochsplaining

You can’t upend the patriarchy while emulating Greenwich Village folkies.

I remember being so blown away at our first show with you guys in Denver. And it was the first week of the war. We got up in Denver and blabbed about the war and were booed by about 10,000 people.

in other words, Pearl Jam fans can be douchenozzles

CB has just been cast in the new Todd Haynes movie. Good for her! (I've long since come to terms with the fact that we're never getting S-K back.)

this really is an endlessly listenable band.

Checking Carrie out on IMDB. Her mini-bio:

Carrie Brownstein was born on September 27, 1974 in Seattle, Washington, USA. She is a writer and actress, known for Portlandia (2011), Some Days Are Better Than Others (2010) and The Horse Whisperer (1998).

A big Wahhhh? followed by the discovery "Little Babies" was used in the latter film.

Oh! and her "Trademark":

Sexy dance moves while playing guitar.

When I first saw Portlandia I thought it ws p cool CB ws in a comedy, but it's NOTHING comp to S-K

Good morning! Have one ballot in. Trying to finalize my mine. Here is today's suggested listening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTbCa8V2-w8

I think my review for stylus was definitely overreaching, presumptuous and clumsy (whaddyagonnado I was young dumb and edited only in theory) but considering the group split after and carrie went off to do do an American Express ad I'll stand by the Metallica comparison and the general sense that these guys became real self-contradictory cornballs once they entered the "guaranteed four stars" stage.

Had no place saying shit about the patriarchy etc but still not jazzed about these guys going from 60s Who to 70s Who

You say that like there's something wrong with 70s Who.

Otoh they were never either, bad analogy

Yeah it ain't perfect but I can't imagine it hurts the brain too much to conceive commonalities

all the best bands are massively self-contradictory iirc

To a point yeah and as I even said all those years ago I don't even mind when the band is ripping like on the first bit of "entertain"

Carrie doing AMEX ads is definitely 80s Who, though.

I think this was an ITunes bonus track or B-side type thing but it's one my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etsj2IqxanM

True enough, bt the Who changing from an awesome pop band to a dully leaden rock one is a sore point w me

rip yung croup

i was young, dumb and unedited, but . . .

True enough, bt the Who changing from an awesome pop band to a dully leaden rock one is a sore point w me

― sonic thedgehod (albvivertine), Saturday, April 12, 2014 12:54 AM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

For whatever reason, I've never been able to make and/or understand that distinction. They were still making goofy pop singles as late as 1975 (hell, even "Who Are You" is pretty funny), and "leaden" isn't a term I would think could possibly be ascribed to any of their Moon-era live work.

I'm not a Who fan but whatever else the Face Dances singles aren't leaden. The weak link at this point is Daltery, who sings like the guy Bryan Ferry is making fun of in "Love is the Drug."

hahaha otm

Hadn't heard the studio "Everything" before. The first press cds of The Woods came with a short (15-17 minutes) concert dvd filmed at some secret shows they played when they were wood shedding material prior to the sessions. "Everything" was one of the songs, along with "Entertain" which had a different, Corin-sung chorus. At the time I wondered why they left such a good track off the album and on the dvd. Didn't cotton to the itunes thing til way later.

Speaking of first pressing bonus material, for your consideration today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7H30YQjkIg

Two Ballots in. Don't forget/neglect the subpolls! For today's consideration, a Corin Solo jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7TRjAvgvY

I prefer the other half of that One Beat bonus single.

^^That's a good'un as well. And more well known as well, as it ended up on one of those "Rock Against Bush" comps.

Listened to One Beat for the first time in a while -- liked it more than I remembered. The quasi-blues stuff holds up surprisingly well, and "Sympathy" in particular could have been a big misfire but powers through on Corin's singing.

Also listened to CTD the other day, which sounds as amazing as always. Even without a great drummer, that album makes so much noise. The red-zone production on The Woods feels to me like an attempt to force themselves back to that kind of chaos, but they were too professional or something by then. "Stay Where You Are" in particular is so ecstatic/unhinged.

In particular!

Confirmations out for the two counted ballots thus far. Closing in on a week left.

Working on my list right now. Think it's going to be very Dig Me Out and Hot Rock based. I need to go give One Beat another listen. I know I like that album but can never remember the highlights.

Finalized and submitted my own ballot, so we're up to three. I don't know if we'll get a "Sway" with this poll, but I'm surprised to see that one song has been on all of the ballots: it's not one you immediately think of, and if it keeps most of it's momentum, it'll fit the bill nicely.

Four In, Four Counted. One track on all four.

This is going to be suuuuuuuuuuuuch a hard ballot for me. Tons of stuff I like at about the same level, tons of things that hit me at different angles and touched me in different ways during the five years that I was a fan (before they broke up). I also feel like I've already blathered everything I have to say about them on ILX in one place or another, too.

I will totally defend The Woods - I think the sound really works (with the caveat that without Janet's drumming it would be a complete mess) and oddly manages to give space for all the elements in the band while being kind of a slam-against-the-wall overpowering thing. Do wish they could have held back on the distortion a little, especially on the drum sounds. Grates more on headphones, I'm discovering right now, than it ever did coming out of speakers. Fucking throttled in concert.

Kinda stoked to spend every evening this week, where possible, getting kinda tipsy and rocking out/getting choked up to their best, aka whatever I'm listening to right that second. "Hollywood Ending," people! Fucking HOLLYWOOD ENDING! Oh man, that's on my ballot for sure.

One track on all four.

The seeming universal fan favorite used to be "One More Hour," but I wonder if that still holds true over a decade since their peak.

You're No Rock n Roll Fun, Get Up, Joey Ramone strong contenders for general ILM crossover. I always think I don't like Rock n Roll Fun that much, just hear it in my head as sort of flat and VH1-ready and then I hear it again and it's like, oh yeah, this is a totally good rock song, their best pop crossover, etc etc. Prompted by just now getting to it in my careening Spotify listening after a compelling urge to hear "Youth Decay." I'm all about / a FORKED TONGUE and a DIRTY HOUSE!

sent!

I'm surprised to see that one song has been on all of the ballots

it's "milkshake 'n honey," isn't it

if that was the song, i just broke the trend. sorry

lol no worries, there's no way on god's green earth it's "milkshake 'n honey."

all my nebulous thoughts about ballot placement have gone out the window now that i'm re-listening to one beat. holy crap, what an album.

i think milkshake n' honey was on my shortlist at one point, but then i realised i liked the idea of it more than the actual execution.

yeah, One Beat is great. i had no hesitation in voting for a whole bunch of tracks from that.

"Milkshake 'n' Honey" is their Yoko-B'52s pastiche and works well. I hated it at first until lesbian friends claimed it as Their Song.

I'm really interested in this poll because I don't really know the contents of the Sleater-Kinney, even though I have all of the bands' records. I know what I love, but I don't know what the other fan favorites are. At least not in the way I do with some of the other artist polls.

"the contents of the Sleater-Kinney canon" is how that should read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYAitpi6Dhg

"#1 Must Have" is probably my favorite S-K track, and it's for purely musical reasons. I love how disjointed it is until it gives a reprieve with that sweet little 4/4 part with the cool guitar. Also, I expect to be its only voter.

sent!

― charlie h, Tuesday, April 15, 2014 4:35 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Watch your inbox Charlie, I've got a question for you.

I'll have my ballot in hopefully Sunday, if not, feel free to poke me, Grisso!

My personal favorite Sleater-Kinney story: The first time I saw them, the Gossip was the opener. They were pretty new, there was an EP but I don't think they even had an album out yet. I was watching them when a friend nudged me in the ribs and gestured to our right -- Corin and Carrie were standing right next to us, and Corin had a camcorder that she was holding high up overhead to record the Gossip's set. After every song they both clapped and yelled loud. They stayed there the whole set, with Corin taping most of it. When it was over they disappeared, and the next time we saw them, 30 minutes later, they were on stage as full-on rock stars.

(They seemed short when they were standing next to us, and much taller when they were on stage. Funny how that works.)

Sent. Fuck, that was not easy.

^^I know the feeling. As I work through the ballots I keep spotting tracks and am wondering 'why didn't I vote for that one?' which is funny because on the main poll there's about 90 or so eligible songs, and on a 20 track ballot there's around a 1 in 4 1/2 chance for any song to appear, so nothing exactly is hidden. I could have done another ballot with 20 different songs than the ones I voted for, and been just as satisfied.

Anyhoo, we are now less than a week out from the deadline, so those who haven't done their duty get get crackin'!

Yeah, I had to make some painful cuts. The Woods occupied far more of my ballot than I thought it would. This poll made me revisit it, and I'm glad I did. I don't know why I'm suddenly able to hear what I couldn't hear in it earlier, but I'm hard-pressed to think of another band that went out on a higher note.

Four In, Four Counted. One track on all four.

― Damnit Janet Weiss & The Riot Grrriel (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, April 15, 2014 12:28 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Is this track still on all the ballots?

Actually, yes!

Rooting for a good turnout, but I don't know enough about S-K to vote in this one.

I have a draft ballot, but I keep wanting to substitute things. There are songs I can't believe I'm leaving off. And right now there are three albums that only have one track each on my list, which is unfair to those albums but I can't help it!

Quick thoughts on revisiting the entire catalog: Corin's voice is one of the most amazing sounds ever in rock n roll; there's never been another band with anything like the guitar-vocal interplay of Corin and Carrie -- and the interplay is so dependent on the contrasts between their voices and their playing styles that it's hard to imagine it being duplicated because I don't know how you could plan to do something like that; they wrote great breakup songs; Janet kicks ass.

just a great band, that i only got into less than 5 years ago (see me recently-ish polling sleater-kinney ~ the woods ~ the poll & sleater-kinney the hot rock poll)

i still don't like One Beat at all, and i nearly know nothing abt side-projects so looking fwd to that!

Seven ballots in, and the mystery consensus has become, uh, less consensus-y.

"Mystery Consensus Song", even.

Listened to the first Corin Tucker Band album again -- stunned how damn catchy it is! Like, some tracks could've broken into my top 20 if the main ballot accepted extracurricular songs.

Oh yes, both the Tucker Band albums are great, and surprisingly slept on critically. I seem to recall brief, positive notices in RS, Mojo etc., but nothing near the reception S-K got.

It's Thursday, and we're still sitting at seven. Since the VU poll thread has been active again as of late, today's video is Wild Flag covering "She's My Best Friend" live w/Janet on vox:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBEPhM0l5XA

this band is kinda after my time, but I made a serious effort to absorb them a few years ago. since u are low on poll numbers, I will try to submit a ballot but I may not end up with 20 - I can remember 3 or 4 off the top of my head.

I saw Excuse 17 and Adickdid open for Unwound in a basement in maybe 1992?, one of the best things ever, directly responsible for tinnitus (Unwound set only).

Planning to pull together a ballot over the weekend. Actually ended up picking up the first Corin solo album yesterday, hadn't heard either of them before.

definitely voting, just need to listen a bit and bulk up my ballot, never listened to them a ton outside of The Hot Rock

Eight In.

i'm not sure i can bring myself to vote, but this would be on my theoretical part two

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?showall=true&bookmarkedmessageid=4544770&boardid=77&threadid=123

Definitely putting my ballot together over the weekend. Revisiting One Beat and The Woods before I do so, though.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ttlFGOOJerU

Just listening to All Hands on the Bad One again as I try to finish my list. I have no idea why it's seen as one of the weaker albums they've done. I'm hopefully going to find room at least five songs from it on my final list.

It has a bunch of good songs. My fave is "Leave You Behind."

I've always liked AHOTBO a lot, but in putting my ballot together I have trouble picking out standout tracks. All the songs are good, but to me it doesn't have the highs of some of their other records.

All Hands is the one I go back to most often when I want a S-K jolt.

There's at least one track on it though where Carrie's singing lead and her voice is painfully off. :(

"burn, don't freeze" been in my head all day. the version in my head shreds a lot more than the actual recording :-(

I want to say the big problem with All Hands... is it feels to me that it's the one time they kind of slept through/coasted. The songs are fine, the playing fantastic (if anything, this is what kept me coming back for more spins for the set), the production their slickest to that point, but...intheblanks otm. I ended up voting for a couple, all from the back half of the album oddly enough.

I feel the same way about All Hands. The show I saw on that tour was weirdly disappointing, too.

I'm going through my ballot now, lots of suggestions from the thread making it more difficult for me though.

I, also, am planning to scramble a ballot together over the weekend (somehow). This kinda snuck up on me despite anticipating it for a while.

best band

"burn, don't freeze" been in my head all day. the version in my head shreds a lot more than the actual recording :-(

― wat is teh waht (s.clover), Friday, April 18, 2014 7:16 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I know what you mean, but in a way I think that's an achievement. The song has this simmering tension that is as much implied as actual. It's like an abstracted version of the barn-burners off Dig Me Out -- they were good enough by The Hot Rock to convey "rock" without necessarily doing it.

Also, I can recommend a good substitute for the drama you've been craving.

I put ''Burn, Don't Freeze'' on at least one mixtape back in the day. Love the loopy maze of guitar and vocal sounds - when people talk about the 'interplay' between Corin and Carrie this is what I think of, even if they have other songs that rock harder etc.

No idea how I'm going to keep my ballot from being like, 3/4 of Dig Me Out plus token representatives from everything else.

Think I might try doing a poll frm memory cos I loved/love S-K so much, and also cos I listened to The Corin Tucker Band's Kill My Blues and oh man that voice

Dr Casino my poll shd I do one'll be mostly Woods/Hot Rock, so

(note, I am a total fan of all the later records, have defended them on ILX before, just while you're listening to Dig Me Out it basically seems like the best, most consistent record ever)

I'm like that abt a few of their recs, while listening. Don't have time/opportunity atm

would loooooooove an extra week on this poll, just cause of life/timing (end of semester clog of conferences, going outta town for easter, etc.) but i realize every poll is like that for somebody. They just have such a good catalog, there's no writing off any albums as not part of the brushing-up process.

Their only meh album (AHOTBO, imo) still has loads of great tracks, it's like 15 tracks long. ie yeah, this is hard

Happy RSD! Still sitting @ 8 ballots. If you feel like braving the crowds, there's this sidepoll item possibly still being racked at a shop near you:

Heavens to Betsy Calculated LP (1000 copies...contains exclusive bonus track never before released)

Anyway, continue having a Sleater-Kinney Weekend!

xp AHOTB tracks will account for the majority of my worst list, and while there are songs on there that I adore (frankly, the less "typical" S-K songs, which demonstrates how autopilot much of the album felt like to me), do they match up with all my faves from Dig Me Out or Hot Rock or Call The Doctor?

I saw this band six times, not counting their Freedom To Marry benefit stint, which included an early version of "Entertain" alongside "Step Aside" and the ripping "Fortunate Son" cover, and received a fairly tepid response from the overly primped Meatpacking District crowd. I would've loved to have heard "Call The Doctor" in that context: they want to socialize you. (I will say that this poll has made me realize how much that song has always meant to me, going back to being a confused and angry queer teen, and hearing those words cracking open a way of life [for better or worse]. This was the greatest band, every show was revelatory, and I miss them. I hate Portlandia)

may i just
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J8n9R8rnB8

damn
wild flag - romance
there

11 in and counted on this final day of this most Sleater-Kinney of weekends! You've still got the rest of today, all of Monday, and all--to most of Tuesday (depending where you are) to vote.

the wild flag live show i saw was unfortunately dull

just submitted my ballot, looking forward to seeing the results. Thanks C. Grisso/McCain!

I loved the Wild Flag shows I saw! They seemed to be having so much fun. Plus they covered Television, The Ramones, and Fugazi!

Wild Flag came through here once, and I still regret missing it. First of all, I never got to see S-K live (by the time I was old enough to go to clubs, they stopped coming here, aside from the Pearl Jam tour*, which happened in a summer shed over 100 miles roundtrip from me, and anyway PEARL JAM?). Secondly, they were double-booked into this two-story venue with Mastodon, who would be upstairs, leaving Wild Flag to perform in the intimate downstairs bar which was more accustomed to hosting teenage garage bands playing Nirvana covers on Sunday afternoons. And it was right before my birthday! But I'd had a rough week, was really tired etc.

*The closest S-K came on their own after '99 was Austin in 2002; I had a trip planned that fell through at the last minute. Oh, and ACL fest in 2005, but you know, first year w/no tix and then a no-show hurricane.

and anyway PEARL JAM?

Haha. I thought it was cool of Pearl Jam to put bands like S-K and Jesus Lizard and Sonic Youth on their tours, but it always struck me as the equivalent of Television opening for Night Ranger.

Exactly. And I don't really hate Pearl Jam, but I would have been going to see S-K, paying a fairly high price (I seem to recall the cheapest tix were still $40+ before surcharge & tax) to see a show probably not unlike the one Alfred wrote about upthread (surrounded by mooks loudly wondering "Who are these dykes?").

It reminds me a little of the last time PJ Harvey came to Houston, as the opener for U2 on the Elevation tour. This was when they were back down to headlining arenas (albeit big ones: just over/under 20,000 seats), but still: If the idea of Sleater-Kinney in a summer shed is bit odd, PJ Harvey in an American basketball arena is pure WTF?

Shout-out to people who live in major markets that are for some reason bypassed by most touring acts!

My hometown of Phoenix being a major example.

when they opened for PJ in 2003 Eddie Vedder joined them for a version of "Hunger Strike." Corin Tucker has no reason to envy Chris Cornell.

Wow, no shit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnCTR0wx-YI

PJ & S-K together (Janet doing the Moe Tucker thing w/double toms)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHhnMGqZ2KU

13 Ballots in and counted.

sent, hooray!

I drove to Atlanta to see them twice, on the Hot Rock and AHOTBO tours. Totally worth the 4-hr drives.

Sterling Clover, please report to the white courtesy telephone to clarify something w/yr friendly neighborhood pollster.

15 Ballots In and Counted.

You have 48 hours left to vote.

Another PJ/S-K standard, doing the Who's arrangement of Eddie Holland's "Leaving Here":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkJqGEYI9uA

(lol at the "those chicks ruined the song!" comments)

Maybe I listen to more straightup noise than some ppl bt I'm listening to The Woods on earbuds for the first time and the production/mastering isn't sounding all that severe. Also this is still my fav S-K album, and they're such an ALBUM band to me that picking songs is tricky

listened to the whole catalog over the weekend and I only have three spots left to fill!

Call The Doctor and AHOTBO totally rule, btw

I got to see S-K twice. Once at a festival where Carrie had some tech-problems (Mogwai played right before or right after and also had tech problems) and once at a club right before The Woods came out.

Before the festival concert I hadn't really listened to them before, but they converted me during the gig. Especially when someone shouted a request for Words + Guitar and they launched in to a great version with a long jam in the middle. And the club gig was even better. The played a lot of songs from The Woods and they were all great.

In my mind they were the best band in the world between 1997 and 2006.

::applause::

Oh FFS I left Good Things off my poll

NO!!! Fix that ballot.

I think I'll trust in enough other ppl voting for it that it doesn't matter, but fuck, really. That's just weird

18 Ballots In & Counted!

will send one this afternoon

Getting ready to submit, just futzing around with the order and the last couple spots.

Thing I've noticed while listening to their discography: S-K songs rarely fade out. They usually end with a final chord or riff as an exclamation point for the rest of the song. Can anybody think of any examples where they fade out?

Offhand, "A Quarter to Three" at the end of The Hot Rock; "Modern Girl" fades out on the final drone.

Voted! My list was very Hot Rock and Dig Me Out heavy but as previously mentioned the biggest surprise was how many great songs I wanted to include from All Hands. I enjoyed One Beat a lot more than I remembered, but only found room for a couple of tracks.

Just wanted to mention that I've been going through old NME/Melody Maker end of year lists from the 90s recently listening to albums I've never heard before. I was surprised to see that both magazines just about ignored all Sleater-Kinney's albums (All Hands was very low on the last Melody Maker list) They really should ashamed of themselves.

The non-SK side-poll has led me to hastily conclude that Carrie slays choruses while Corin's songwriting is strongest in the verses.

I'm not a Who fan but whatever else the Face Dances singles aren't leaden. The weak link at this point is Daltery, who sings like the guy Bryan Ferry is making fun of in "Love is the Drug."

There's this thread: TS: Roger Daltrey vs. Corin Tucker

and Bryan Ferry wrote a song Roger Daltery covered too!

Ferry could do a nice job on "One More Hour".

Def on "The Size of Our Love"

Sent!

22 In & Counted.

This is hard. Can I just say I vote for Carrie sings lead songs?

sent!

You have 24 hours left to vote.

OK! I promise I will send one this afternoon

Alright, just voted!

My musical friends, let me urge you to give a last minute listen to the mother of all SK side projects, Cadallaca. Particularly their debut album, Introducing. That is a phenomenal record that has held up remarkably well. If you are unfamiliar, you are in for a musical treat.

Dig June 'n July
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkavEUCwm0M

YES. I didn't vote in the side projects poll because Cadallaca is really the only one I know and love, but that album is great.

25 In and Counted. You have 12 hours.

Be sure to post at 11 p.m.: GIMME ONE MORE HOUR

Mine will be coming right at the cut-off.

by the time you're twenty-five...you'll have 12 hours

Finishing it up here.

sent!

sent!

sent!

Hey Some Dude: Check your inbox. Pollster got a question.

sent also

some dude's ballot nothing but pearl jam songs corin sang backup on at a show once

Carrie playing arpeggios in an attempt to mimic "Yellow Ledbetter" at #11 with a bullet.

ughhhhhhhhh i'm still cramming my "songs that could go on my ballot" list

clearly i remember
pickin on some dude

at home makin ballots
all pearl jam songs
w/ 'black' on top
ranked it number one

i voted for 2 songs that get counted together, apparently. so i threw in more Hot Rock.

Instead of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_K7k-zIgSo

From the comments:

I was at that concert, but I didn't get to see Sleater Kinney because my friends were getting wasted in the parking lot.

Sent in my very bizarre ballot. My great shame as a S-K fan is that I never grabbed a $10 Call the Doctor LP during my heyday with the band and have only just now started to dig into what I think most people consider one of their top couple records. Can't wait for results - thanks again to C. Grisso!

In One More Hour, I close this poll...

Have had The Day I Went Away in my head all day, maybe should've found room for it, oh well

I can't check stuff right away, so if anybody needs til midnight Portlandia time (2 hours from now), polls will remain open til then.

sweet. I got totally preoccupied with something else and forgot this until about 3 minutes ago.

Polls are closed. Words, guitar, milkshakes'n'honey to come.

Alright, I've got the sidepolls finished, and am now getting started on breaking the master tracks spreadsheet down into a ranked list. I'm not sure how long that list will be. I'll get a new thread going once I've got that settled.

Thanks again to everyone that voted! It's been exciting to see the ballots come in, as from the outset it's been a pretty tight race, and--to mix metaphors--by the end it became quite the figurative shoot-out.

woo

Have the main poll rankings worked out. We will have a Top 50. Stand by for results thread launch with the sidepolls.

yesssss

RAH.

If for no other reason, I'm anxious to see what the title pun will be!

"I'm The Queen of Rock and POLL!!!!!!"_ILM Artist Poll #51_SLEATER-KINNEY_ RESULTS THREAD