Female trio burns down 'Woods'

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Sleater-Kinney brings the grunge flavor to The Woods, which fits considering the fact that their label, Sub Pop Records, released Nirvana's first album Bleach. The all-female rock trio represents the punk mentality by placing an emphasis on a distorted sound, vivacious singing (sometimes shrieking) and a hard work ethic (they've released seven albums in ten years). \nOn some tracks, however, the guitar fuzz thickens so that even at a low volume, I thought my speakers were breaking down. Nevertheless, The Woods could raise some eyebrows not only in the Pacific Northwest but around the rest of the country, too. \nLike The White Stripes, Sleater-Kinney doesn't have a bassist, although guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker create low crunchy tones to fill the void. While Brownstein leads, Tucker tackles rhythm well and stresses the low notes. The solo on "Wilderness" is purely original with the exception of a Hendrix-esque rotary effect. \nThe shining moment of The Woods occurs when, in one raw, unedited cut, the band segues from the eleven-minute inventive "Let's Call it Love" to the unfortunately repetitious "Night Light." \nEven more entertaining is drummer Janet Weiss, who plays with a hint of spontaneity by cutting loose on a few tracks. On "Steep Air" she builds up each measure by filling louder with every beat. Similar to Maureen Tucker of the Velvet Underground, Weiss's beats sound primitive and firm on "Jumpers" and "Wilderness."\nLyrically, The Woods takes on a wide range of topics, jumping from a retelling of a children's parable in "The Fox" to a bash on pop culture in "Entertain." Brownstein's piercing voice sounds like a mix between Gwen Stefani and Cindy Wilson of the B-52's, and Tucker adds a fresh spark by singing harmony on "Jumpers." Intended or not, a low production quality flushes the vocals at times, which is a travesty considering the fact that the lyrics are probably the most powerful element of the album. \nAll told, The Woods is a highly listenable work, but Sleater-Kinney needs to demonstrate experience and professionalism more in the future. A stretch of about three tracks taints the other seven, fizzling the overall quality of the album. There were even some points where I thought a song was fading out, only to pick up again with more volume. If you're new to their material, you may want to pick up one of their older releases like Dig Me Out. Or, statistically speaking, you could just wait another 17 months for their next CD to hit the shelves.