Sleater-Kinney, The Hot Rock (Kill Rock Stars) 9
1997's Dig Me Out, chock full of timeless, powerful songs, prompted the world to put the entire future of indie rock on their shoulders. Perhaps that was an unfair burden on a trio of young women, but one can't help be disappointed by the The Hot Rock. After two years, some sort of progression is expected. Instead, they have retreated to tried-and-true formulas. Worse yet, there are none of the irresistably catchy hooks and heart-wrenching anthems like previous albums' "Good Things," "One More Hour" and "Dance Song '97." Retreaded Sleater-Kinney is still better than most pathetic excuses for rock music lately. But if anything, the guitars sound at times more twee and awkward. Endlessly repeated riffs threaten to induce boredom. The most successful, or at least interesting songs are the slow ones, like the melodic "Get Up" and the loping melodica-tinged "A Quarter To Three," and the spare and lovely "The Size Of Our Love," which recalls the Raincoats when they started experimenting with different instruments, just before they began to disintegrate. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen to our favorite Olympia rockers. All they need to do is get over the tired punk-rock authenticity anxiety and just put it all on the line and be the rock stars they're meant to be.
