I miss: Sleater-Kinney.

Look at that picture. I wish I was old enough to be hanging out with these cats circa 1996.

I feel like I'm a Bob Dylan fan whenever I tell some folks about my strong love for S-K. They'll say, "Ugh, I hate her whiney voice. And ugh, their guitar riffs are so simplistic, it sounds like a kindergartener playing." And I'm like, "Hey, whatever, dude, they're fantastic." Not that I'm comparing them to the apparent god that Dylan is, but still.

Anyway, sometimes you just need to rock out and dance along their groovy beats. I love Corin Tucker's vocals--because, what have I said in the last few posts? The horrible the vocals are, the more I love 'em. And what I even love about Sleater-Kinney's sound is Carrie Brownstein backs Tucker up with sweet, innocent and melodic vocals, meanwhile shredding the guitar in cock-rock fashion. It was hard for me to listen to their studio albums for the longest after seeing them in live action. And Janet Weiss completes the band with her fast-paced drumming. They complete each other--awww.

As you can see, it's hard to actually describe the true essence of the Olympia via Portland trio. I still cannot put a finger on why I feel that S-K are an essential collection to my favorite bands, but they are. Is it their energy? Possibly. Do I like their lyrics? Of course. Is it the music as a whole? Could be. If anything, I'd say I loved them simply for the fact that I could tell just by listening to their music that they were having a wonderful time in the studio. It just didn't seem as if they half-assed anything. And once again, who knew they would be so Sabbath-esque when they came out with The Woods in 2005?

Whatever the case may be, I sure as hell miss it. It's been a while since I've loved a band just because.

Corin, Carrie and Janet--come back to me.

Listen: