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

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'!