Sleater-Kinney

Record Review

Phases and Stages

Sleater-Kinney

One Beat (Kill Rock Stars) On their sixth full-length, Corin Tucker, along with singer-guitarist Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss, chart a journey from fear, heartbreak, and disbelief stemming from the incidents of 9/11, traveling from Point A -- "Far Away," in which Tucker describes nursing her baby while watching the world explode on television -- to utter disgust at Point B, with "Combat Rock," perhaps the most striking song on the album. In it, Tucker deconstructs the patriotic binaries available to American citizens over the past year. Peevish, prickly guitar lines accompany her punky sneer as she asks, "Where is the questioning where is the protest song? Since when is skepticism un-American?" The women of Sleater-Kinney are unafraid to dissent, imploring us sarcastically to, "Show you love your country -- go out and spend some cash." Of course, One Beat isn't simply an angry-and-heartbroken meditation on a national tragedy. There's plenty of punk rock power to be had and stories to be told. One of the most interesting moments on the album is the closing track, "Sympathy," a mother's exploration of faith in the face of her child's grave illness. It's always exciting to see punk rockers become mommies (Tucker's son, Marshall Tucker Bangs, was born last year) and work that into their musical dialogue without sacrificing edge. All told, One Beat is the Portland, Ore., trio's best work to date, illustrating yet again that women can play and will be heard, with or without a political platform. (Sleater-Kinney play Emo's Saturday, Sept. 14.)

****

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