Skipped It 'Til Now: Sleater-Kinney - The Woods

Why did I skip Sleater-Kinney's 2005 album, The Woods? I really don't have an answer for that. I've been a fan of the band since I first heard Dig Me Out back in the day. A new S-K record was an event... so now I'm confused as to why it took me such a long time to check their final album out. Well, I recently purchased The Woods from a clearance rack for the ridiculous price of $4, and it boggles my mind as to why such an awesome album could be ignored by anyone.

The usual brash and sassy sound of Sleater-Kinney has changed a bit on The Woods. There's an overall classic hard rock sound here. The record is LOUD, with cracks and pops adding a certain rawness to every song. It works pretty well from the very beginning as the opener, "The Fox," charges at you with distorted guitars and pounding drums. Singer/guitarist Corin Tucker's Aesop fable-worthy lyrics would seem to be in contrast with the raw music, but her voice (some people hate it, I love it) fits into the mix so well that she could say anything and it would work. Guitarist Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss are in top form as usual. The whole album continues in a similar fashion throughout, as hard rockin' behemoths like "Entertain" and "Let's Call It Love" threaten to blow out your speakers (can you believe I listened to it with headphones?). Even the lighter "Modern Girl" (oddly, my favorite) is pretty hard. Songs like "Wilderness" and "Rollercoaster" are more typical S-K fare, but they fit in with the rest of the songs well. For all its Hendrix-like aspirations, The Woods can be compared to previous S-K albums if you'd like, because there are a lot of flashes of things they've done in the past, but they all culminate into something new and forward-looking, making for a rather enjoyable listen from beginning to end.

The Woods is an extremely well-crafted album by an extremely competent band, and I'm ashamed of myself for taking so long to listen to it. There aren't any real issues with the record in my opinion. Can't say that there are any lulls or filler anywhere to be found, and it begins and ends strongly. I have read elsewhere that other listeners weren't fond of the quality of the recording, and while I can understand it, I think it works wonderfully. If you haven't heard The Woods, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It looks like it's selling for ridiculous prices.

- Jake