One Beat
Year: 2002
Format: Spotify
Grade: A-
In the wake of 9/11, the women from Sleater-Kinney were asking themselves the big questions about the kind of world they wanted to live in.
In the case of singer/guitarist Corin Tucker, her then-newborn son, Marshall, figured into this heavily, too.
Whether you agree with their leftist politics isn't necessarily essential in enjoying the music because they're so passionate, not that S-K ever lacked in that quality.
One Beat is their most consistent effort I've heard, an enjoyable ride from cover to cover. One Beat skews in the alt-rock direction of its successor, 2005's The Woods, which showed the women flexing their rock muscle, but it keeps intact the punky, riot grrrl aesthetic that made "Dig Me Out" hotter than lava.
"Combat Rock" manages that hybrid, a powerhouse of righteous lyrical angst reminiscent of their harder days, but opting for a slower, fuzzier presentation.
They work to create they world they want to exist through their music, being the change they wish to see in the world. Sleater-Kinney mean it on One Beat, with a message that matches their eternal energy.
Tomorrow's entry: Bohren und der Club of Gore, Black Earth
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