One of the most iconic punk bands to emerge from the riot grrrl era isSleater-Kinney. The Washington group has continued to evolve over the years, but through it all has always featured the duo of Corin TuckerandPortlandia’sCarrie Brownstein. Janet Weiss would spend most of these years as their drummer, while Lora MacFarlane, Toni Gogin, and Misty Farrell would also serve as drummers for the band.
However, it was Brownstein and Tucker who provided the heart and soul of theall-woman band, leading the music scene. Save for a 10-year hiatus between 2005 and 2015, Sleater-Kinney has continued to keep the riot grrrl punk sound alive for the better part of 31 years. In those 31 years, Sleater-Kinney has continued to evolve that sound over the course of 11 albums. The band sports a rare discography where all of their albums are strong enough to say they’ve had no bad albums. Even still, it’s worth ranking each of those albums to chronicle the evolution of Sleater-Kinney.
11The Hot Rock
Sleater-Kinney’s Fourth Album is Slower Than Other Projects in their Discography
The Hot Rock is where Sleater-Kinney first shows signs of slowing down, not momentum-wise, but producing more of a melodic sound through their tunes. The faster pace would return in future projects, but compared to what the band is best known for,The Hot Rockisalmost exclusively slow jams, for lack of a better term, especially on its title track. Not a bad approach, but a noticeable change of pace for those who prefer that gritty, devil-may-care approach to their sound.
10The Woods
Sleater-Kinney’s Seventh Album Was Almost Their Final Album
For a long time,The Woodswas viewed as Sleater-Kinney’s final album as the band would go on a decade-long hiatus after its release. The result istheir most otherworldly and whimsical album. As Sleater-Kinney seek to close the chapter on their music journey for the time being, The Woods almost feels like a storybook fantasy album in that vein, largely due to that aforementioned fantastical whimsy. It’s a whimsy that feels uncharacteristic of the band, but offers something new in their temporary sendoff.
To the album’s credit, it feels like a finale of sorts, as if Sleater-Kinney is ready to go out with a bang. “Modern Girl” is the album’s standout and is the utmost indicative of the band’s newfound whimsy. Had Sleater-Kinney decided not to return 10 years later after this album, it certainly wouldn’t have been a bad one to end on.
9One Beat
Sleater-Kinney’s Sixth Album Is Arguably Their Most Political Album
Punk as a music genre and as a movement, in many ways, is political. In that sense, Sleater-Kinney has always been political, at least in subtle ways.One Beat, however, is effectively the band’s most overtly political album. Released in 2002, nearly one whole year removed from the World Trade Center attacks, songs like “Far Away” directly reference 9/11. “Far Away” details the day many Americans turned on the news to “watch the world explode in flames,” and the fear mongering that proceeded in the aftermath.
Don’t breathe the air today
Don’t speak of why you’re afraid
Why can’t I get along?
Why can’t I get along with you?
And the president hides
While working men rush in and give their lives
The decision to be so direct in itspolitical commentary is a bold one, but it gave voice to the feelings much of America had for those who still couldn’t comprehend the weight. As such, it’s aged even better today than it did in 2001. It’s a record reflective of a unique time period,serving as a time capsulefor those who could not live through or comprehend the scope of the 2001 tragedy.
8Call the Doctor
Sleater-Kinney’s Second Album is Also Among Their Most Energetic Albums
Some can argue that the final product ofCall the Doctorfeels rushed, and that’s because it is. Sleater-Kinney’s sophomore project was written in a few weeks, and recorded in four days. Rushing isn’t always a bad thing, as in this case, it feels as though the band is motivated more than anything, particularly Tucker who was inspired to write largely based on working a job that she hated at the time. That kind of inspiration births songs like the title track. In that context, “Call the Doctor” feels like a critical fury against Big Brother capitalist empires.
The results lead to one of Sleater-Kinney’s shorter albums, but alsoone of their most energetic. Whatever is motivating Tucker, Brownstein, and drummer Laura MacFarlane creates a flurry of lively performances throughout.
7No Cities to Love
Sleater-Kinney’s Eighth Album Was Their Comeback Album from a 10-Year Hiatus
After 10 years, Sleater-Kinney returned from a hiatus with a thunderous eighth album.No Cities to Loveis a return to form in more ways that one, feeling like a more polished evolution of the jagged aesthetic first introduced in their first album. The crackling themes from the first album remain as prevalent as ever, if not more so after the band had enjoyed a dormant slumber for a decade. Ready totake the world by storm again, the album wastes no time in reminding the world of their sound with “Price Tag.”
“Price Tag,” along with “Fade,” “Hey Darling,” “Bury Our Friends,” and several others, all rank among the band’s all-time best songs. There are very few skippable songs here. There are some areas where it feels as if the band is working out the kinks, but that’s to be expected after a decade away.
Sleater-Kinney’s 11th Album is Their Most Recent Album to Release
Little Ropeis Sleater-Kinney’s most recent release, but also their most reflective. Both lyrically and sonically, this is an album that feels as if the band is hyper-aware of both their sound and themselves growing older. Not growing old in a bad way, per say, but in a sense of time. With age comes time, and with both comes an awareness of an inevitable expiration date that everyone has to come to terms with at some point in their lives. For Sleater-Kinney, that somber thought arrives in the forefront of their minds as Brownstein’s mother and stepfather died during production.
Reflections of grief and aging are prevalentthroughout the album, making for a sobering listen. It comes off as their most personal album to date, as the band seems as if they are actively trying to make peace with their reality whilst in the grieving process.
5Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney’s Third Album Features One of the Band’s All-Time Best Songs
The title track alone is enough to putDig Me Outin Sleater-Kinney’s top five, as the song “Dig Me Out” ranks highly asone of their all-time best songs. Still,Dig Me Outis worth listening to for more than just one song. In many ways, it’s arguably the band’s most important album as it’s when Janet Weiss enters the fray, becoming their longest-lasting drummer.
With Weiss on drums, Sleater-Kinney’s sound starts to take inspiration fromclassic bands like The Beatlesand The Kinks, as well as old-school blues rock evoking the spirit of Muddy Waters and Bessie Smith. It’s an evolution to their sound that would help Sleater-Kinney separate themselves from other punk bands. It would help Sleater-Kinney bring something new and fresh to the table whilst garnering a new audience.
4Path of Wellness
Sleater-Kinney’s 10th Album Showcases The Band Remains Consistent Without Long-Time Drummer
As their first album in 25 years without Janet Weiss onboard, fans were skeptical about what Sleater-Kinney could sound like in the modern era, especially after The Center Won’t Hold produced mixed results for listeners. The answer is for the duo of Brownstein and Tucker toreturn to their punk rock roots. Whether it just felt natural to do so following Weiss' departure or because it felt like a no-brainer following the reception of their last album, it seems oddly fitting for the band to go back to an older sound in time for their landmark 10th project.
Path of Wellnessis a clear sign of the band’s music aging like fine wine.
Much ofPath of Wellness’tracks would not seem out of place on Sleater-Kinney’s first album, like “Favorite Neighbor.” Then, there are tracks like “Tomorrow’s Grave” and “Bring Mercy” which feels like a welcome progression of the punk sound introduced on their debut.Path of Wellnessis a clear sign of the band’s music aging like fine wine.
Sleater-Kinney’s Fifth Album Showcases The Band at Their Most Versatile
From this point forward, any of these albums can easily be argued for the top spot in Sleater-Kinney’s discography. Each of these next albums are absolute masterpieces with no skips to any of these tracklists.All Hands on the Bad Oneis one of their most diverse projects, featuring a vastmix of melodies and fast-paced punk.
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In the hands of a lesser group of artists, transitioning into, say, the sweet and angelic sounds of “Leave You Behind” coming after the rapid and autocratic “Male Model” would feel jarring, but in the hands of Sleater-Kinney, it’s just a perfect example of their versatility. The album itself is arguably the best example to point to when stating how versatile Sleater-Kinney can be. The title track, “The Ballad of a Ladyman,” “The Swimmer.” and “You’re No Rock n' Roll Fun” are also notable standouts.
2Sleater-Kinney (Self-Titled)
Sleater-Kinney’s First Album Kicks Off Their Discography On a Stellar Note
Many musicians struggle to find their sound on their debut album, but Sleater-Kinney has a rarity in which they, as musicians, seem confident and assured in their sound in their introduction to the music scene. The band wouldn’t struggle to find their sound or even drastically change their sound in time, but instead, they knew exactly what they wanted to be from their first album onwards and continued to evolve their sound using this album as a base.
With Brownstein and Tucker on vocals and Macfarlane on drums (and vocals and guitar for “Lora’s Song”), the trio commands the stage with each track. The album captures the raw, unrelentingrage of the 90s punk scenewith a female tinge that hasn’t been duplicated since, even in future Sleater-Kinney projects. There are so many incredible songs to choose from, but thisalbum peaks with its final song, appropriately titled “The Last Song.”
