Tom Lynch

It's been some months since Sleater-Kinney gave us "The Woods," a record that sleeps deep inside, the band's best since its breakthrough "Dig Me Out." The band, as it has repeatedly in its now decade-long history, proves its status as one of the best, if not the best, rock bands in America. The riot grrl roots matched with the recent dive into classic rock riffs shake wildly on the new record, S-K's seventh, a ten-song rupture through odd nostalgia, politics and growing older. Corin Tucker's voice has grown deeper and has never been stronger as she scales the fretboard with mysterious ease, while Carrie Brownstein, her evermore-gentle and blazing partner in tornado-guitar crime, sneaks in soft harmonies and a few solo shots herself. Janet Weiss continues to be a wonder behind her kit, and is, absolutely without a doubt, the finest drummer to view live with her quixotic beats drawing every eye in the room. "How the hell does she do that?" While "Call the Doctor" improved on the Bikini Kill-advanced sound of its self-titled debut, "Dig Me Out" shot S-K into chaotic territories of fan worship, and the following "The Hot Rock," "All Hands on the Bad One" and "One Beat" kept reinventing the band's sound without changing its dangerous, powerhouse foundation. "The Woods," even darker this time of year, still holds many mysteries, even six months later.

Sleater-Kinney plays October 6 at the Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203.

(2005-10-04)

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