From The Vault: Sleater Kinney

Sleater-Kinney were an all-girl group out of Olympia, WA. Perhaps the most widely known band of the Northwest-born Riot Grrrl movement (along with Bikini Kill and Bikini Kill founder Kathleen Hanna's later project, Le Tigre), Sleater-Kinney is the work of founding members Carrie Brownstein (Guitar) and Corin Tucker (Vocals, Backup Guitar) and a rotating cast of drummers.

Brownstein and Tucker were dating when the band formed in 1994, but their break-up several years later did not tear apart the band. Sleater-Kinney garnered critical acclaim for political agenda and harsh vocals but innovative guitar-work on mid to late-90's releases Sleater-Kinney, Call The Doctor, Dig Me Out, and The Hot Rock. Their third and fourth albums on label Kill Rock Stars, All Hands on the Bad One (2000), and One Beat (2002) were both immediately hailed among the best albums of the nascent decade. 2005's The Woods, with a more anthemic, classic-rock sound, would be the band's last hurrah. In 2006 they ended their thirteen-year run together, entering a period of "Indefinite Hiatus" (speculation centered around Tucker's desire to spend more time parenting). In March of this year, Brownstein announced that she would be pursuing a new project with Sleater-Kinney ex-drummer Janet Weiss and that fans could potentially see a full-lineup Sleater-Kinney release "sometime in the next five years." If only...

Sleater-Kinney peaked before indie had really crossed over into the mainstream, and they never had a breakthrough hit on The O.C. (it's doubtful they would have consented to, given their nuanced second-wave feminist agenda). As a result, many of today's discerning music listeners have only a passing familiarity with their wonderful sound. Corin Tucker's yelps are definitely 'love-it-or-hate-it' material, but they've got passion up the wazoo, and Carrie Brownstein's guitar work crossed over from inspired into impressive circa 2000. Check out a few highlights of their back catalog below.

The Original Sound
Sleater-Kinney - One More Hour (Dig Me Out, 1997)

The Moment of Perfection
Sleater-Kinney - One Beat (One Beat, 2002)

The Classic Rock Anthem
Sleater-Kinney - Rollercoaster (The Woods, 2005)