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

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.