The Hot Rock

1	Start Together 2:38
2	Hot Rock 3:17
3	The End of You 3:20
4	Burn Don't Freeze 3:19
5	God Is A Number 3:44
6	Banned From The End Of The World 2:09
7	Don't Talk Like 3:34
8	Get Up 3:46
9	One Song For You 2:49
10	The Size of Our Love 3:12
11	Living In Exile 2:31
12	Memorize Your Lines 3:10
13	A Quarter to Three 4:03

Barnes & Noble

Olympia, Washington's post-grrrl trio Sleater-Kinney is the most exciting rock band in America. Influenced as much by classic punk rock as the totally '80s pop of the Go-Go's, singer-guitarist Corin Tucker, guitarist Carrie Brownstein, and drummer Janet Weiss make aggressive, passionate punk 'n' pop 'n' roll that's intensely personal, musically thrilling, and undeniably likable. You don't have to have a degree in Punk Rock 101 to respond to the monsoonlike power in Tucker's singing voice and Brownstein's scintillating guitar playing. The band blew out of the gate with two instant sensations, 1996's CALL THE DOCTOR and 1997's DIG ME OUT, which found them singing odes to the liberating power of "words and guitars," sending up punk-rock hero Joey Ramone, and basking in the glow of everything that's fun and exhilarating about being punk-rock feminists perfecting The Man's tired old rock 'n' roll. But if Sleater-Kinney are going to be the life-affirming antidote to the rock rut of the post-Nirvana '90s, they're going to do it with albums like THE HOT ROCK. Musically ambitious and emotionally complex, the album is full of jagged rhythms, subtle guitar interplay, and carefully constructed tunes that are occasionally emboldened by cello and melodica. "Burn, Don't Freeze" sees Brownstein and Tucker lock into a beautiful, sustained harmony, while "Banned from the End of the World" is hot rock at its most searing. Few bands come along as wondrous as this one, so hear them while they're still in their brilliant prime. Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

Expectations for Sleater-Kinney's fourth album were stratospheric, with the raging, tuneful feminist catharsis of Call the Doctor and Dig Me Out having garnered near-universal critical raves and outlandish media hype. Afraid of falling into a predictable rut, though, the band bravely pushed its range of expression into more personal, subdued, and cerebral territory on The Hot Rock. That means the record isn't quite as immediately satisfying as its two brilliant predecessors, but it does reward those willing to spend time absorbing its nervy introspection and moodiness. Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein push relentlessly for more complex interplay, both in their vocal and instrumental work; even the gentlest songs might break into unexpected dissonance or take an angular, off-kilter melodic direction. As such, there's never an obvious, gut-level anthem that jumps out at the listener in the manner of an "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" or "Words and Guitar," but the intensity simmering under the surface does bubble over often, thanks to the group's greater use of dynamic shifts. There are fewer protest songs this time around, as most of the lyrics explore failed relationships and personal uncertainty, yet it manages to retain the sense of empowering catharsis that makes the group so compelling. The Hot Rock can invite comparisons to a less jam-oriented Television or a minimalist version of indie compatriots Helium (not to mention the obvious Kim Gordon homage on "Get Up"), but in the end, it stands on its own as Sleater-Kinney's most progressive and experimental work, as well as their darkest. Steve Huey