No Cities To Love – Review
by Jill Taylor
January 20th marked the release of Sleater-Kinney’s long awaited reunion album “No Cities To Love” Some may call it a comeback, but others disagree, including the band’s lead guitarist Carrie Brownstein who calls it the continuation of a story they took a break from in 2006. Their hiatus lasted a painful 8 years, with many comments from all band members along the way alluding to the album, which made the release that much more satisfying. Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Janet Weiss came together to continue the story, and damn did they deliver.
The album begins with “Price Tag”, an epic introduction to the harsh vocals and gritty melodies to follow. Tucker’s voice resonates and reminds us all of their previous seven albums, but with obvious age and maturation. In classic Riot Grrl fashion, it forces us to bang our heads in anti-establishment pro-woman joy.
A few skips later is the title track, “No Cities To Love”. It opens with both Tucker and Brownstein’s feisty vocals, and it brings us back to the good ol’ times of drinking PBR’s in our basements and contemplating deleting our Facebooks because fuck the man right? The song is all about not being tied down to one place, and following what makes you happy. At least that’s how I heard it while I considered packing up my car and moving straight to Portland.
Further down the album is the eighth track “Bury Our Friends”, arguably the best-written and most popular song on the album. Exuberant and loud, Brownstein and Tucker bring it back to Sleater-Kinney’s true roots. Without seeing them perform it live I can just picture Carrie’s mouth encapsulating the mic, screaming this anthem into Fred Armisen’s loving face, spit and tears flying in every direction. The song sounds like something straight out of Portlandia, which sounds like veiled criticism but is actually indicative of the greatness that is Carrie’s writing.
The remaining tracks, although unmentioned in this review, are equally amazing. Sleater-Kinney deserves more than just a listen, but dedication only true music lovers can give to great albums such as this. The girls didn’t lose anything during their hiatus, and if anything, gained a little passion along the way. I can’t wait to delete my Facebook, bang my head, and move to Portland when their next album comes out.
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