For the past couple of months, I’ve been in a music slump. Sleater-Kinney’s music has been getting me through this slump; they make up pretty much all of my recent listening history. My Sleater-Kinney resurgence began over the summer, but I’ve branched out within their discography and found songs that I connect with, and capture the feelings of fall.
For those unfamiliar with Sleater-Kinney: they’re a rock band formed in the 90s in Olympia. For most of their existence, Sleater-Kinney was a trio composed of Corin Tucker (vocals, guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar, vocals), and Janet Weiss (drums). Weiss departed the band in 2019 (much to fans’ dismay), but S-K is still active as a duo. They’re associated with the riot grrrl movement, and much of their music is noted for being politically charged.
“What’s Mine Is Yours”
“What’s Mine is Yours” is the third track off S-K’s 2005 album The Woods. As a whole, I find The Woods very autumnal. I don’t mean the cozy or warm feelings of fall, but rather the angst of the seasons changing and leaves falling and dying. The album visuals evoke the sense of being in the titular woods after dusk, surrounded by the tall trees of the Pacific Northwest, and a feeling of surrounding malevolence. In “What’s Mine Is Yours,” the chorus, sung — or rather, howled — by Brownstein, is the most compelling part of the song: “Someone’s in the kitchen / Cooking hearts over the stove / Don’t lie to me, never say goodbye to me / I don’t want to be here alone.”
“Modern Girl”
Also off the album Jumpers, “Modern Girl” is both one of my absolute favorite S-K songs and one of their most popular. Brownstein is on lead vocals; I’ll admit I’m partial to songs where Brownstein’s vocals are prominent because she primarily does backing vocals, and I just think she’s an interesting person. “Modern Girl” tells the story of a girl in three parts: she’s happy, she’s hungry, she’s angry. Before the final verse, there’s a wistful harmonica solo (played by Weiss), a precursor to the anger that follows.
“One Song for You”
Off of S-K’s 1999 album The Hot Rock, “One Song for You” is currently playing on repeat for me. Compared to the songs off Jumpers, it has a noticeably younger sound, but this isn’t a point of criticism. It’s raw, and quick-paced, almost as if they can’t get the words out quick enough. A message to a lover, this “one song” is all they have for him; in the final lines they make their point: “I want it all for you / But I can’t live for you.” When I hear this song, I can picture myself at a 90s Sleater-Kinney concert, in a tight venue, moshing with the rest of the crowd. Instead, I walk across campus with “One Song” beating in my headphones and silently jam along.
“One Beat”
Another example of S-K’s pure angst and rock and roll energy, “One Beat” is the title track off the band’s 2002 album. If “One Song for You” made me want to dance, “One Beat” makes me want to yell along to the lyrics. Each line is delivered as a punch; it’s a challenge, a warning, and a cry for help. There’s one line in particular that is especially striking every time I hear it: “Could you invent a world for me / I need to hear a symphony.”
This is a snippet of my current fall playlist, but Sleater-Kinney has been year-defining music in my life. If you’re not familiar with them but have an interest in any combination of rock/punk/riot grrrl/just some new music, I’d recommend checking them out. S-K’s music ranges from calm to disruptive, so there might be something to suit your taste. The passion and raw emotion they communicate through song is what makes their music so powerful; it can be a soundtrack for any season.