Sleater-Kinney's 'Hot Rock' Coming In February

01/04/1999 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Midnight Jones

(1/4/99, 1 p.m. PST) - Sleater-Kinney will return on Feb. 23 with a new album titled Hot Rock. The trio could teach the Spice Girls a thing or two about girl power. And the first lesson from the Olympia, Wash.-based punk bound would be to use your power wisely.

"Even if you don't set out to be a woman that rocks, it happens with the slightest amount of media attention. You become a hero or an icon by default because there just aren't enough women speaking from their heart," says 24-year-old guitarist/ vocalist Carrie Brownstein. "With that title comes responsibility. We try to be as honest as we can with our fans. We admit we're people with faults and that we can only speak for ourselves, not for a generation. Many of our songs are about power and if our stories inspire young girls to sing or play, then that's cool."

Brownstein and her bandmates, 26-year-old vocalist Corin Tucker and 32-year-old drummer Janet Weiss, hope to serve up more inspiration with the release of Hot Rock. The album contains 13 tracks of blistering guitar, tense vocals, and raw emotion. "We set out to make a record that was different thematically and musically and we are very proud of the final product," Tucker says.

"Each song sounds really different from the next. There are more diverse guitar sounds. This record is about searching for meaning in the world. Since it is so different, we are a little concerned about what people will think, but we have to be loyal to ourselves and this is the music that came out."

The album follows 1997's acclaimed Dig Me Out, which found its place on numerous critics' year-end top 10 lists and garnered the band a strong following. "The best way to live up to an album like Dig Me Out is to follow it with something different and challenge the listener," Brownstein says. "Who would want to hear an album that sounded exactly the same? Maybe three records down the road we'll hearken back to the old days."

To push past their critical darling label, the girls intend to release "Get Up" as a commercial and modern rock/ college radio single in January. A video has been made by fellow Kill Rock Stars recording artist Miranda July. The band will also tour the U.S. in February and March, Europe in April and May, and Japan and Australia in the Summer or Fall.

"We will never be mainstream. Our music just doesn't fit that image, but that doesn't mean we can't try to get more people to hear the music," Tucker says. "You have to make compromises sometimes to achieve your goals and these are the ones we are willing to make."

Brownstein assures in her best riot-grrl tone that the band will in no way be selling out. "We are willing to try videos and singles, but we will never pucker up and kiss the man's ass."

-- Midnight Jones, Los Angeles