No rock 'n' roll fun

June 27, 2006 1:52 PM

Sleater-Kinney will be going on "indefinite hiatus." Simply put, they're breaking up.
posted by keswick (105 comments total)

Once dubbed "America's best band" by influential critic Greil Marcus, Sleater-Kinney formed in 1995 in Olympia, Washington, and released seven albums that were well-received by critics and fans, but somehow eluded larger success. (hi everyone!)
posted by keswick at 1:52 PM on June 27, 2006

. !
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:53 PM on June 27, 2006

Just my luck. They finally make a rockin' album and then they split up.
posted by unSane at 1:53 PM on June 27, 2006

Phew. Good riddiance.
posted by Mach3avelli at 1:53 PM on June 27, 2006

.
posted by piratebowling at 1:54 PM on June 27, 2006

Great band... they will be missed.
posted by aubin at 1:56 PM on June 27, 2006

(hi keswick!)
posted by raedyn at 1:59 PM on June 27, 2006

Shame. Lats time I saw them live they were pretty kick-ass.
posted by Artw at 2:00 PM on June 27, 2006

I'd argue that on their own terms, they pretty much achieved everything they wanted and/or needed. Not that I know them personally or anything, but an 11-year run is nothing to sneeze at. Write-ups in major newspapers and magazines? Going out with what's arguably the best album of their career, or at least their most accessible, easily their most "rockinest"?

Good for them. If only more bands had the sense and good grace to know when it's time to move on to other things. (And Janet's still got Quasi.)
posted by bardic at 2:00 PM on June 27, 2006

My all time favorite "America's Best Band" is X, but I'll take Sleater-Kinney. Great songwriters, great musicians, fantastic live. I will miss them.
posted by psmealey at 2:02 PM on June 27, 2006

Man. You cannot fucking beat SK. But Corin had been talking about getting out of it before the new album, so, hey. And, yeah: Quasi. Different ballparks, but both great bands.

And hi, keswick!
posted by cortex at 2:03 PM on June 27, 2006

bardic: agreed. Glad to see a graceful exit. They really were an amazing band, though. Carrie's fretwork, Corin's vibratto, Janet's amazing drumming (love her use of tom-toms)... I hope they continue to play music.
posted by keswick at 2:03 PM on June 27, 2006

Who?

I'm really not kidding. They must never have 'broken' into the Australian market.
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:03 PM on June 27, 2006

Effigy2000, they're sort of the Pacific Northwest girl rock band. Or were. Gah!

Also, SK rocks so hard that the article crashed my browser.
posted by cortex at 2:06 PM on June 27, 2006

Aww.
posted by muckster at 2:07 PM on June 27, 2006

Phew. Good riddiance.
posted by Mach3avelli at 1:53 PM PST on June 27

What's the term for an ironic juxtaposition of MeFi handle and comment?

Sad to see SK go, happy that they made it this long, and mostly pleased that they're doing it nicely. I'm so tired of bad band breakups... it seems so 80s.
posted by medialyte at 2:07 PM on June 27, 2006

Aw! But I agree with bardic: they've had a long and great career, so hey. The Woods is fantastic.
posted by furiousthought at 2:10 PM on June 27, 2006

Great band. Kinda impossible to think of a certain time in the Bay Area (and other places, no doubt) without their music as one of the soundtracks.
posted by blucevalo at 2:16 PM on June 27, 2006

One of my favorite rock bands ever. Shame to see them go, but if you're gonna go out, there are far, far worse swan songs out there than the stomp and circumstance of "Let's Call it Love" and "Night Light."
posted by one.louder.ash! at 2:16 PM on June 27, 2006

Metafilter: Your favorite band sucks broke up.
posted by ninjew at 2:17 PM on June 27, 2006

Who?

I'm really not kidding. They must never have 'broken' into the Australian market.

apparently, neither has allmusic.com, wikipedia, or google.
posted by shmegegge at 2:19 PM on June 27, 2006

Way to go out on the heels of a great album. I've come and gone on the subject of Sleater-Kinney over the years and have, at times, found their acclaim disproportionate to their actual output. "The Woods," however, was a tremendous record--their best, in my opinion, and certainly one of the best overall records of 2005. It's no small acheivement to exit gracefully when you are, musically, at the very top of your game.
posted by thivaia at 2:19 PM on June 27, 2006

Kinda impossible to think of a certain time in the Bay Area (and other places, no doubt) without their music as one of the soundtracks.

That's odd, i've spent a great deal of time all over the world and I can honestly say that not a single memory I have of those travels involves SK. Can't we save stuff like this for the news wires?
posted by casconed at 2:21 PM on June 27, 2006

What's that saying? Oh yeah, "flag and move on."
posted by keswick at 2:23 PM on June 27, 2006

Eh. I kept hearing how great they were, from people I respected, but I guess I never "got" them. I always thought they were OK, and without SK there wouldn't be The Quails (who I really like), but I was always dramatically underwhelmed by them. Kinda like Wilco for the lesbian set in terms of overhype.
posted by klangklangston at 2:26 PM on June 27, 2006

Welcome back keswick. Now go away forever please (although I do appreciate the post).
posted by bardic at 2:27 PM on June 27, 2006

OMG KLANG I WILL CRAWL BACK INTO YOUR MIND AND BEAT IT SENSELESS IF YOU DON'T LAY OFF WILCO AND SK
posted by cortex at 2:28 PM on June 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

overhype

Is something only "hype" if you personally don't like it? Seems like quite a few people on this thread actually find them to be a pretty fair band. Not calling you out specifically, klangklangston, but I've been hearing that word a lot today, and seems to me that if a sufficiently large number of people agree on the quality of something, "hype" is probably not the right word to use.
posted by psmealey at 2:29 PM on June 27, 2006

seems to me that if a sufficiently large number of people agree on the quality of something, "hype" is probably not the right word to use

Too bad this season of American Idol is over.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:32 PM on June 27, 2006

I always thought the lesbian stereotype was funny, given that only one of them is a lesbian.

I mean, if chicks dress a bit androgenously (and IMO, quite stylishly) and aren't blond, they're dykes?

FWIW, it was male hetero record-store and grad-student types that got me into SK.
posted by bardic at 2:34 PM on June 27, 2006

Sleater-Kinney was the one band that totally opened up my musical horizons: before them, I was pretty much listening to cookie-cutter Top 40 and crappy "hard metal." Then All Hands on the Bad One pretty much became the soundtrack for my 2000 summer. Now I'm pretty much all over the map (and yes, shoutout to The Quails!)

All three have had side projects (and Janet's current with Quasi), so here's to hoping it's not the last we've heard of the girls.
posted by Hot Like Your 12V Wire at 2:37 PM on June 27, 2006

'seems to me that if a sufficiently large number of people agree on the quality of something, "hype" is probably not the right word to use

Too bad this season of American Idol is over.'

Oooh, snap.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:39 PM on June 27, 2006

Too bad - I remember driving to work a few years ago, and in the midst of the usual bemoaning The State of Rock and What Happened to Punk and such cliches, I heard something on the radio that made me go "What the *fuck* was that? Who the...wow!" After that happend a few times I finally checked out Sleater-Kinney.

Sorry to see them go for selfish reasons, but glad to see someone finish strong, alive, and rockinly.
posted by freebird at 2:40 PM on June 27, 2006

I'll miss her acerbic screeching. :(

The lesbian sterotype may be due to two of them having a relationship together.
posted by DieHipsterDie at 2:40 PM on June 27, 2006

Wow. Y'know, I avoided SK for years because of that whole hipper-than-thou-ambisexual-whatever-riot-grrl-postpunk thing, that local attitude that drives me up the frickin' wall. I decided that they were too popular with the wrong people, y'knowwhutamsayin'? Therefore, they must suck.

And then I heard "Entertain" on a sampler disc about four months ago, and then I collected all of their studio albums within the week.

Sad to see them gone. Makes me wish I hadn't come to the party so late.
posted by solid-one-love at 2:41 PM on June 27, 2006

That's odd, i've spent a great deal of time all over the world and I can honestly say that not a single memory I have of those travels involves SK.

Well clearly they are totally unimportant then. Glad we cleared that up.

Actually, I always thought they were overrated until The Woods. So rockin.
posted by 912 Greens at 2:41 PM on June 27, 2006

Well... Sufficiently large number of people who hve TASTE.;-)
posted by psmealey at 2:42 PM on June 27, 2006

I never thought their rock was so hot. But every lesbian I knew in 1998 loved them.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 2:42 PM on June 27, 2006

Aw, SK is/was one of my all-time favorite bands, I'm sad to see them go. Those ladies put on some rockin' shows.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 2:46 PM on June 27, 2006

The lesbian sterotype may be due to two of them having a relationship together.

Huh? I thought Carrie was theonly lesbian in the band. Doesn't Corrine married to Lance Bangs and Janet formerly married to her partner in Quasi?
posted by piratebowling at 2:50 PM on June 27, 2006

"Isn't", not "Doesn't".
posted by piratebowling at 2:52 PM on June 27, 2006

Carrie and Corrine had a pretty serious longer term relationship a few years back. Corrine is now married (to a male) and has a kid.
posted by DieHipsterDie at 2:54 PM on June 27, 2006

Sad. I, too, used S-K to rebut proclamations that rock was dead.
posted by MattD at 2:54 PM on June 27, 2006

I'm with The Jesse - sitting here in Seattle up to our dykee-ironic-intramural-softball-league-caps with former SK fans I can safely say they were waaaay over exposed and over rated. Idigo Girls minus the actual musical talent.
posted by tkchrist at 3:00 PM on June 27, 2006

*me prepares for all-out music-tastes war*
posted by cortex at 3:03 PM on June 27, 2006

I really wanted to like SK. Have friends who worship them, But the only SK CD I ever bought, Dig ME Out, left me underwhelmed. I guess I should've seen them live ?
posted by Skygazer at 3:03 PM on June 27, 2006

FWIW, it was male hetero record-store and grad-student types that got me into SK.

Really. I'm shocked. SHOCKED! LOL.
posted by tkchrist at 3:05 PM on June 27, 2006

Quasi better anyway.
posted by fire&wings at 3:06 PM on June 27, 2006

Nah, overhyped doesn't mean that I don't like 'em. Just that I get tired of people using them as an example of why rock's not dead since they were never really all that rockin'. I liked Dig Me Out, but I had to hear about it all the time from a psuedo-feminist indie rock who was in a band with my roommate.
You know, about how like Wilco's YHF was really boring and pedestrian but everyone loved it because of the label narrative.
posted by klangklangston at 3:08 PM on June 27, 2006

Rock will never die. Neither will music. It's such a sad thing to hear people bemoan these sentiments.

However, citing S-K is hardly a point to go by. IMO they brought nothing revolutionary or interesting to the table, other than the gimmick of being three chicks (which they thankfully didn't personally observe as part of their making).

For those ready to lambast my opinion, here's my definition of a few bands worthy of holding up the "rock" crown:

Caspian - Quovis Further Up In
Moving Mountains - Alastika
Natsumen - Newsummerboy
posted by Mach3avelli at 3:09 PM on June 27, 2006

I didn't know anything about YHL the first time I heard it (and really knew nothing about Wilco at all until about six months and a few albums later), and I fell in love right away. It's not all hype and posturing—it's a good goddam album, well written and well made. Just because nobody will shut up about it doesn't make it not good.
posted by cortex at 3:12 PM on June 27, 2006

(YHF even)
posted by cortex at 3:17 PM on June 27, 2006

Sad. I, too, used S-K to rebut proclamations that rock was dead.
posted by MattD at 2:54 PM PST on June 27 [+fave] [!]

Listen to 'Playhouses' by TV On the Radio. It is sent directly from wherever perfect rock is from. It is rocking my ass right now. And its not even playing!
posted by The Jesse Helms at 3:21 PM on June 27, 2006

My personal reasons for disliking Wilco's music have nothing to do with their success, but rather the lack of drive and energy--even, dare I say, passion--to their music. Yes, they're all accomplished musicians with great songwriting ability, but IMO opinion they fall into the same trap bands like The Shins, Spoon, The Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc. I just find nothing exciting about their music. That, of course, is personal, as lyrics mean absolutely nothing to me. I'm just talking strictly about the music.

Different strokes for different folks.
posted by Mach3avelli at 3:22 PM on June 27, 2006

Sad. I, too, used S-K to rebut proclamations that rock was dead.

Really? I use them as an example of how rock is dead. God, how many times was this band mentioned in all the "right" places like NPR, etc. as this smart quirky band that eschewed mainstream formulas, etc. EVen that comment about the "influential critic" above? Influential rock critic? Who the hell buys rock albums based on the opinion of a critic? This isn't postmodern literature. It's four chords over a backbeat.

The music is okay, I guess, but it seemed to me that people loved them for who they were or what they were, rather than what they sounded like. They never pushed any boundaries, it always sounds like they were being bothered to play.
posted by Pastabagel at 3:25 PM on June 27, 2006

Dude, klangston, I *promise* you I have better taste in million-ton-shithammer capital-R rock than you ever had or ever will, and I love Wilco *and* S-K. So lay the fudgesicle off, OKs?
posted by adamgreenfield at 3:28 PM on June 27, 2006

I can see what you mean there—I love Wilco to death, but I wouldn't describe them as hard rockin'. Tweedy runs the band, and I'm a lyrics dork (common songwriter ailment) and so am consistently knocked on my ass by his writing.

I tend to dig the sort of lush, playful arrangements they've been messing with in the last few albums. As you say, it's personal: I find a lot of things about their music exciting, but in a quiet or emotional way as much as anything.

Funny then: I like S-K for the flip side of the coin. While I like some of their production choices, there are a lot of songs I wish at times that I could remix. But they've got great basic rock construction, I like their guitar and vocal counterpoints, and they have a shitload of energy and passion. It shows in fucking spades at a show.
posted by cortex at 3:29 PM on June 27, 2006

So the "rock" crown consists of really long instrumentals? I can see why you wouldn't like S-K. I like the Natsumen one, that's pretty good.

That, of course, is personal, as lyrics mean absolutely nothing to me.

Oh, okay, I guess that explains it. Hey, thanks for the music.
posted by furiousthought at 3:30 PM on June 27, 2006

Cortex: While I like some of their production choices, there are a lot of songs I wish at times that I could remix.

For me, this nails it. It's like you want to go back to the studio with them and say "Okay, just try a little harder this time..."
posted by Pastabagel at 3:32 PM on June 27, 2006

They don't all have to be long and vocal-less:

The Appleseed Cast - Longing the Golden Sunsets
Paik - Tinsel and Foil
Saxon Shore - Marked with the Knowledge
posted by Mach3avelli at 3:34 PM on June 27, 2006

*Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets
posted by Mach3avelli at 3:35 PM on June 27, 2006

Pastabagel: actually, it's more like I want to say, "shit, Carrie, back off the mic a little and we'll get some room sound on that vocal. And whoever is on the board, could you not completely forget about the snare? TIA!"
posted by cortex at 3:36 PM on June 27, 2006

oh my god.
at least i get to see them one last time.
posted by timory at 5:17 PM on June 27, 2006

Growing up, I didn't listen to much music. For what it's worth, Sleater-Kinney was the first band to make me feel that thing (I dunno, bliss?) that I observed everybody else feel when they listened to music. Proved to me that I wasn't broken.

So, yeah.

.
posted by Skwirl at 5:27 PM on June 27, 2006

Aww man!! First Arrested Development cancelled, and now this! But if we have to say goodbye to Sleater Kinney, at least the ladies have the class to go out at the top of their game (and yes, The Woods album rocks!: Imagine Siousxie channeling P.J. Harvey while Jimi Hendrix rides a herd of elephants over John Bonham's grave, with a little of The Supremes thrown in, oh my goodness!) Thanks, S-K, for all the rock and roll fun. the first time I heard them in 1997 was when a cooler-than-me friend insisted I hear Dig Me Out and I immediately felt like I had contracted a powerful poison sumac-like itch that could only be alleviated through repeated playings of S-K albums. My husband and I were typically among the oldest people at S-K shows, and rocking our asses off. (Though I was never as enamored of their cutesy-pie patty-cake ditties as their fortunately many big rocking numbers.) Ugh, this stings a bit. Bon Voyage, S-K! What a great band.
posted by applemeat at 5:32 PM on June 27, 2006

They never got enough credit for writing really hooky songs, I thought. You'd hear a song by S-K and sort of think "oh, that was okay." And then weeks later the same song would still be rattling around in your mind. I think they had more in common with Chuck Berry than would seem on the suface.

.
posted by DenOfSizer at 6:18 PM on June 27, 2006

Bah, no big loss. I found their music pretty pedestrian. Saw them live once and they were okay, but no, not a band I'd point to to prove rock's not dead.

I lump them in with a bunch of bands (Radiohead chief among them) that seem to appeal to a large-ish group of people because they're better than average of what you hear on the radio, but, imo, worse than average for people who love music but don't listen to the radio or read critics to get the good stuff.
posted by dobbs at 6:21 PM on June 27, 2006

Thank god.
posted by papakwanz at 6:24 PM on June 27, 2006

Sleater Kinney Sucks.
posted by dersins at 6:30 PM on June 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

God, I hate music threads on Metafilter.

That is all.
posted by mr_roboto at 6:39 PM on June 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

They were a fantastic band. Probably the best band to come out of the girl punk music scene of the late nineties. Which, for some of you who didn't experience it, was a huge scene. But I'm not sad. I feel like they made a lot of great music. Eleven years is a long ass time. And now they can make great music in their other projects.
posted by Titania at 6:40 PM on June 27, 2006

Oh no! Which punky-grrls are left that can I alterna-rock out to now?
posted by Down10 at 6:55 PM on June 27, 2006

I quite liked them.

...

Why do so many people here have to be snarky and rain on other people's parades? Far too many Metafilter threads turn into "I'm more disaffected and sarcastic than you!" "Nuh-uh!"
posted by jiawen at 7:08 PM on June 27, 2006

The post-punk hipper-than-thou crowd of the '90s that loved this band (among others) was so tiresome, but I did love this band. The Woods was the first album of theirs I bought, and at the time I was happy to know they were still making music, damn good music at that. But listening to it, I realized that they were playing the music of an aging generation. Still great, but something has definitely shifted since then. So, it's not that difficult for me to imagine them breaking up. I hope they go on to play more music. I hope things keep shifting.
posted by krinklyfig at 7:09 PM on June 27, 2006

Was never a huge fan on SK - huge fan of Corin Tucker, but for completely non-musical reasons - but there's no denying they could bring the rock and had some dang good tunes.

And everything cortex said about Wilco goes double for me.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:18 PM on June 27, 2006

I'm a little taken aback at the almost unerring association of dislike/meh toward SK with reactions to their perceived fanbase. How do you get so wrapped up in what other people like and who is doing the liking?
posted by cortex at 7:39 PM on June 27, 2006

I'm particularly amused that people seem to expect some sort of a concession at the end of this discussion, like maybe "My God, you're right -- Sleater-Kinney does suck! All those albums, all those concerts -- how could I have been so foolish?" Then again, I feel the same way about using S-K as proof that rock wasn't dead. I'm trying to imagine how that conversation would go, and it keeps turning into a Mr. Show sketch in my mind.

On the other hand, Mach3avelli mentioned several of my favorite bands in this comment, so Mach, if you're still around and would like to list a few more bands you hate, I'm listening.
posted by Acetylene at 7:57 PM on June 27, 2006

Ughh..that sucks. I really dug the Woods and most of their other stuff. Reminds be of Fugazi's indefinite leave...
posted by lester the unlikely at 8:32 PM on June 27, 2006

*Prays this means another Cadallaca album will appear*
posted by VulcanMike at 8:58 PM on June 27, 2006

I lump them in with a bunch of bands (Radiohead chief among them) that seem to appeal to a large-ish group of people because they're better than average of what you hear on the radio, but, imo, worse than average for people who love music but don't listen to the radio or read critics to get the good stuff.

This is one of the nicer incidences of "slap your indie dick on the table" I've seen in ages. Congratulations, buddy. You truly bring it Old School.
posted by furiousthought at 9:22 PM on June 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

A friend smsed me back with this:

"Haha. They must have found out you're obsessed with them & they got creeped out"

...Cry!

</australian>
posted by a. at 9:53 PM on June 27, 2006

This saddens me.
posted by interiority at 11:41 PM on June 27, 2006

Can fans recommend, say, a couple of their favorite Sleater-Kinney songs with an eye towards naming songs that might be a little more accessible to those of us are not well aquainted with them?

Rhapsody has 7 of their albums, and I've heard songs from them that I've liked (e.g. Jenny and I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone), but the "top tracks" listed on Rhapsody seem a bit hit or miss. Are these a good representation?

1. The Fox - The Woods
2. Jumpers - The Woods
3. What's Mine Is Yours - The Woods
4. One Beat - One Beat
5. Jenny - Dig Me Out
6. Modern Girl - The Woods
7. Wilderness - The Woods
8. Banned From The End Of The World Everything Is Nice
9. Rollercoaster - The Woods
10. Combat Rock - One Beat
11. Dig Me Out - Dig Me Out
12. Turn It On - Dig Me Out
13. Entertain - The Woods
14. Off With Your Head - Future Soundtrack For America
15. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone - Call The Doctor
16. One More Hour - Dig Me Out
17. The Drama You've Been Craving - Dig Me Out
18. Words And Guitar - Dig Me Out
19. Good Things Call - The Doctor
20. Let's Call It Love - The Woods
21. Start Together - The Hot Rock
22. Oh! - One Beat
23. I'm Not Waiting - Call The Doctor
24. Little Babies - Dig Me Out
25. Call The Doctor - Call The Doctor
posted by Davenhill at 11:43 PM on June 27, 2006

It'd be nice to get a copy of their cover of Fortunate Son that wasn't recorded from someone's armpit while standing next to the damn "Wooooo!" Guy.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:35 AM on June 28, 2006

Oh man... seeing them play in 2003 was one of the very very top best ever ever rock shows I've been to

watching Carrie Brownstein strut across the stage I intuitively understood why some people became groupies, she seemed like she was on another level of existance, a rock god, if you will

well, at least they quit at the top, The Woods was amazing
posted by Kattullus at 4:57 AM on June 28, 2006

Is this something I'd need a fashionably shabby sweater and a pair of square black rimmed eyeglasses to understand?
posted by loquacious at 5:50 AM on June 28, 2006

And a Matador Records T-shirt. And an ironic trucker hat. And an Asian girl- or boyfriend, yes.
posted by bardic at 7:30 AM on June 28, 2006

"Dude, klangston, I *promise* you I have better taste in million-ton-shithammer capital-R rock than you ever had or ever will, and I love Wilco *and* S-K."

HA! "And I bought this leather jacket with indie cred!"

"but IMO opinion they fall into the same trap bands like The Shins, Spoon, The Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc. I just find nothing exciting about their music."

Well, I kinda agree with you, except that I really like Neutral Milk Hotel and Spoon. But both the Shins and the Decemberists for me suffer from a failure to whelm.

"Growing up, I didn't listen to much music. For what it's worth, Sleater-Kinney was the first band to make me feel that thing (I dunno, bliss?) that I observed everybody else feel when they listened to music. Proved to me that I wasn't broken."

See, but that's totally awesome. They didn't do that for me, but goddamn, I'm glad they did that for someone. They are a band that I'd recommend in a second to people who are just starting to get further into music.

"and yes, The Woods album rocks!: Imagine Siousxie channeling P.J. Harvey while Jimi Hendrix rides a herd of elephants over John Bonham's grave, with a little of The Supremes thrown in, oh my goodness!"

But that's where I never got to with them. Because, frankly, it really doesn't sound like that much assembled talent. Sorry.

"You'd hear a song by S-K and sort of think "oh, that was okay." And then weeks later the same song would still be rattling around in your mind."

Yeah, except that ten other bands will be in there instead of SK because they just didn't stick.

"I lump them in with a bunch of bands (Radiohead chief among them) that seem to appeal to a large-ish group of people because they're better than average of what you hear on the radio, but, imo, worse than average for people who love music but don't listen to the radio or read critics to get the good stuff."

Radiohead is chief among them. But the problem is that it's only rock radio that really sucks. Pop radio, and hip hop radio even more, is pretty good right now. In Detroit, about the only station worth listening to is WJLB, aside from maybe DET when they're playing music.

As for "saving rock and roll"? Well, around here, rock doesn't need saving. It's doing just fine. Want some music though?
The Dirtbombs— I'm Through With White Girls
The Avatars— Wait
The Muggs— Shoulda Learned My Lesson
The Hard Lessons— That Other Girl
The Mangazoides— I Hate Rock and Roll
25 Suaves— Juan Rules
etc. etc. etc. etc....
posted by klangklangston at 7:57 AM on June 28, 2006

.
posted by atlatl at 8:02 AM on June 28, 2006

Gosh thanks, Klangklangston. Some of us were just so wrong about S-K. But fortunately you've been generous enough with your musical expertise to come and help correct us.

Yeah, except that ten other bands will be in there instead of SK because they just didn't stick.

Just didn't stick? Eleven years, and seven studio albums? Whatever, man.
posted by applemeat at 8:10 AM on June 28, 2006

"Gosh thanks, Klangklangston. Some of us were just so wrong about S-K. But fortunately you've been generous enough with your musical expertise to come and help correct us."

Yeah, that was totally what I said. Heh. Especially where I talked about how it was awesome that somebody did get that musical bliss out of 'em.
Hey, here's another one: I think Bush was closer to correct than Kerry when it came to realistically addressing the issue of outsourcing during the 2004 campaign! That must mean that I hate Kerry and love Bush!
posted by klangklangston at 8:28 AM on June 28, 2006

"Just didn't stick? Eleven years, and seven studio albums? Whatever, man."

Didn't stick in my head, dufus.
posted by klangklangston at 8:29 AM on June 28, 2006

The problem with music threads is that everyone thinks everyone else is being an asshole.

The other problem with music threads is that people mix logical argumentation and a presumption of objective righteousness with the wildly subjective nature of music appreciation.

The other problem with music threads is that you're all completely wrong, wrong, wrong.

The other problem with music threads is that we need more people to post links to a few songs, because I've been enjoying the hell out of that so far.
posted by cortex at 8:58 AM on June 28, 2006

And another thing!

One of the things that honestly gets my ass about music discussions (and, really, anything discussions) is what seems like an aversion to folks doing something straightforward and well. Or maybe an aversion to acknowledging that doing something pretty goddam well is good enough to make peace with.

Take Sleater-Kinney. There's no specific thing that this band does that some other band can't do better, with one exception: be Sleater-Kinney. If you're an S-K fan, that's the trump card, and so clearly you're on board. If you're not an S-K fan, everything else is your trump card: you can always point out the other bands that do better the specific things you value.

What I don't get is why there's so much focus on those trump cards. The Loyal Fans get offended at the protestations of The Underwhelmed; the latter can't understand why the former think the band is such hot shit; and I feel like I'm standing around in the middle wondering what's so wrong with just saying, y'know, they're a good goddam band. Whether I like 'em or don't seems kind of immaterial.

I don't own any Barry Manilow albums. I don't want to. Ditto Neil Diamond. Ditto Leonard Cohen. But they're great goddam songwriters.

I don't really like listening to Broken Social Scene. I don't put them on very often. But they're a really, really good band. They have fantastic musical sense.

Etc. Rambling a bit, but it frustrates me that music discussions tend to involve as much dick-wagging and as little straight-up friendly discussion of the basic kernals of musical value present in a given act as they do.
posted by cortex at 9:22 AM on June 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

At this point, I kind of regret posting the thread. I've taken a vow not to argue music anymore; it's a collosal waste of time and energy.
posted by keswick at 10:38 AM on June 28, 2006

"Take Sleater-Kinney. There's no specific thing that this band does that some other band can't do better, with one exception: be Sleater-Kinney. If you're an S-K fan, that's the trump card, and so clearly you're on board. If you're not an S-K fan, everything else is your trump card: you can always point out the other bands that do better the specific things you value."

OTM.

"I don't really like listening to Broken Social Scene. I don't put them on very often. But they're a really, really good band. They have fantastic musical sense."

But they're so goddamned Canadian boring!

"The other problem with music threads is that we need more people to post links to a few songs, because I've been enjoying the hell out of that so far."

More music:

The Destroyed— 686-6
Mason Proper— A Chance Encounter
Great Lakes Myth Society— Isabella Co., 1992
Nomo— Better Than That
Saturday Looks Good To Me— Lift Me Up
Those Transatlantics— Boys and Children Sing for Summer
The Pop Project— House of Books (they link to MeFi from their homepage too).
Peaches cover/remix of Electric 6's Gay Bar


Starling Electric's MySpace, where I would have linked to Prince of the Puff

And that's mostly just local bands playing in the next month or so...
posted by klangklangston at 10:43 AM on June 28, 2006

Sleater-Kinney is/was a great goddamned band and I'm going to miss the hell out of them. They're my number 1 top favorite band, and have been ever since I first heard them on Dig Me Out. I think they've gotten better with every release, and that's a damned rare thing.

Thanks for rocking so much Corin, Carrie and Janet. I'll still be here if you decide to come back, and I'll still listen to anything you guys put out individually.

RIP Sleater-Kinney. I just wish that I had gotten a chance to see you live.
posted by Jupiter Jones at 11:22 AM on June 28, 2006

Jesus, CNN is even running this. I had no idea this many people gave a flip about this band. Meh.
posted by intermod at 12:15 PM on June 28, 2006

Sleater Kinney sucks ass. As an Olympia resident, there are about fifty bands from this town that far better deserve the attention and exposure SK got.
posted by stenseng at 3:20 PM on June 28, 2006

Further. Stupid band name. Sleater Kinney is a street name. In Lacey.


Lacey for chrissakes.
posted by stenseng at 3:23 PM on June 28, 2006

BREAKING NEWS: MOST BAND NAMES PRETTY STUPID WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT
posted by cortex at 3:40 PM on June 28, 2006

klangklangklangston, thanks for the music! I can't say I agree with a lot of what you've said about S-K but I had to say thanks for the mp3s.
posted by LeeJay at 5:10 PM on June 28, 2006

I tried to like SK, but I found there was just too much 'noise' and not enough groove. I had hoped they would have been a bit more like the pumpkins who even when going balls out crazy still had a vibe. I couldn't sense it with SK.
posted by maxpower at 7:05 PM on June 28, 2006

Yeah, there was an embedded youtube link in there that seems to have been stripped, thus fuxxoring the formatting here and on my comments page... Arg.
But if you liked those mp3s, nearly all of them have music you can buy by going to the top level of the domains that host the music...
posted by klangklangston at 6:55 AM on June 29, 2006

KlangKlangston.

Dude. You broke the Metafilter.


I'm tellin' Matt!!
posted by Skygazer at 10:12 AM on June 29, 2006