When Sleater-Kinney formed in the mid-1990s, they were a rock 'n'roll powerhouse from the start. Between Corin Tucker's commanding vocals, Carrie Brownstein's fierce guitar riffsand (eventually) Janet Weisss signature drumming, the trio quickly became one of the most influential bands of theera.
Sleater-Kinney has evolved since the '90s and just released their ninth studio album, "The Center Won't Hold." And while the album contains Sleater-Kinney's essential ingredients, it was produced by musician Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent.
Clark helped add a new industrial and electronic element to the band, a sound that was a departure from the groups previous albums. Shortly following the records release, Weissleft the group after 20 years as their drummer.
Maureen McCollum of WPR's "BETA"caught up with Carrie Brownstein who you may also recognize from the comedy show "Portlandia."They talked about life after Weiss and the bands musical evolution.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Maureen McCollum:I've been a fan of yours for many years now. Youre one of those few bands that I feel like I'm growing up alongside, like Im witnessing and experiencing your musical evolution with you in some ways. Can you talk about that evolution and where you are right now as a band?
Carrie Brownstein: We've been a band for 25 years. Corin Tucker and I started this band way back in 1994 when we were still in college in Olympia, Washington.
When you start out, I think very few musicians imagine themselves one, five, 10 years down the road let alone over two decades. I think a goal with every record, every transition has been to challenge ourselves to do something different, to defy expectations. Eventually, we just reached a place where we wanted to set the bar higher for ourselves and to have a sense of freedom.
When you finally get to making your ninth studio album, which we just did, it really felt like, "What else do we have to prove?"
Our goal is to make music that doesn't sound like the last thing we did and to still enjoy it. To come at it with a sense of gratitude and always to do it with a sense of integrity and passion. To need it as much as the fans do because we understand that people want to feel seen and heard in our songs. We need to approach it with that same kind of urgency and that same sense of wanting to connect and belong within the context of music.
So yeah, that's kind of been our journey and we're sometimes as surprised as anyone that we're still making music. But we don't take it for granted at all.
MM: With this new album, "The Center Won't Hold,"the sound of the music is completely different. But, your message and your lyrics are still so on course with who you are as a band. You have songs about longing, technology, the daily grind, working through dark times. So while it might sound sonically different, I still hear you as a band.
CB: Yeah I mean, fundamentally this is a band that's always merged the political and the personal. That's a very popular idea right now, but it's one we've been doing for a long time a lot of other artists have as well. When we were surveying the political and cultural landscape, there is a sense of tumultuousness and fractiousness. We wanted to couch that in a more personal narrative and really speak to how chaos and anger and trauma and despair has an effect on the body, specifically the female body and the female psyche. I think a lot of this record is an exploration of that.
Those are themes that we've been grappling with on multiple albums. Your songwriting is who you are in the present day. So as you change and grow and age, your perspective on things shifts. The stories also reveal themselves in new ways and stretch out in new patterns. It's not uncommon to kind of go back and wrestle with the same ideas. Each time you return to that struggle, you're approaching it differently. That's kind of the nice thing about longevity you get to retool things.
MM: Annie Clark, also known as St. Vincent, produced this album. Can you talk about how she pushed you musically in different directions?
CB: It started with just a change in methodology, where Corin was up in Portland and I was down in Los Angeles. Because we were not always writing in the same room although we did sometimes we were sending ideas back and forth on our computers and writing as much on synthesizer and keyboards as we were on guitar. So, the demos already had a different sonic palette.
And then Annie talked a lot about sounds that were kind of corrosive and ugly, kind of creating a paradox where you had some grittier sounds paired with a lot of melody. Those two worlds were kind of existing simultaneously.
Corin was listening to a lot of Depeche Mode. I was listening to a lot of Ministryand Nine Inch Nails. And I think for Annie, especially with Nine Inch Nails, that's a vernacular that she really embraces.
I think we really saw the studio as an instrument in and of itself. So it became, you know, an act of discovery and not just documentation,which is a little new for us. Really, each song is a planet. Each song was just something that we could completely immerse ourselves in one at a time.That was something that Annie, aka St. Vincent, really encouraged from us maximalism and a lot of imagination applied to each individual track.
MM: Yeah, it almost has this dystopian sound.
CB: Yeah, I think thematically we were circling around that sense of dystopian ideas. I think we wanted to match that sonically with things feeling tense and dire. Then, pairing that with choruses that really were bright, so that it didn't feel like a cynical record. I think cynicism is its own form of toxicity. We wanted glimmers of hope throughout.
MM: I want to ask you what your take is on the current state of music. I'm looking at some acts that you've been associated with over your career with Sleater-Kinney. So, we can look at Lizzo, who opened for you thelast time your band played in Wisconsin. She's experiencing this meteoric rise. Another band you're somewhat associated with,Bikini Kill, they reunited this year. How are you processing musically what's going on right now? And how does Sleater-Kinney fit into that?
CB: I usually process things as a fan, you know? I love checking out new music. I like buying records. I like going to shows. I try to have a sense of curiosity. I tend to usually be listening to new stuff although, obviously, there's a ton of old stuff to dig through as well.
I think we're in a great, great time for music. It's accessible. It's copious. It is genre-bending and very fluid. It just feels like it has a powerful place right now. Certainly there's more diversity of artists and genres and that's really great.
I don't know how Sleater-Kinney fits into that landscape. I guess that's not really for me to determine that's for other people to figure out. We just we do what we do and hopefully people like it.
MM: I have to ask about some of the transitions within your group. Obviously longtime drummer Janet Weiss left the band. You've picked up Angie Boylan as a new drummer. Can you talk aboutworking with a new drummer and tell us a little more about Angie? Is that going to change the sound of Sleater-Kinney?
CB: I mean, we've never played these songs live, so I don't think that's going to be ... It's not like the songs from "The Center Won't Hold" have been out in the world live. I think for us, we're just looking forward to the future. We were sad that Janet left and we also wanted to continue. We really feel like it's a privilege to play in a band.
I think Angie is the really great drummer. I don't I think it's just about wanting to play the songs. We played a show in Raleigh and the response was great. For us, it's just about chemistry on stage and enjoying it.
In the live context, I think of all the disparate sounds on each record. You know the differencebetween "The Hot Rock" and "Dig Me Out" is massive. The difference between "The Woods" and "All Hands On The Bad One" is massive. So, there's always been these variations between albums, but it's in the live show that it all comes together under the umbrella of Sleater-Kinney. For us, it's just important to have a really powerful show and connect with the audience.
Sleater-Kinney will return to Milwaukee for a show at The Pabst Theater on Oct.16, 2019, with special guest Shamir. Below is a video of Sleater-Kinney's "Entertain," performed the last time the group played in Wisconsin in 2015.
Go here to see the original:
- History of Evolution | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - December 9th, 2016 [December 9th, 2016]
- Evolution - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- What is Evolution - explanation and definitions - December 21st, 2016 [December 21st, 2016]
- Evolution (2001 film) - Wikipedia - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- EvolutionM.net - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution | Reviews, News ... - February 1st, 2017 [February 1st, 2017]
- YMCA evolution continues at lake - Gaston Gazette - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Ivanka Trump's Beauty Evolution, From 1998 to Today Watch - Us Weekly - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Lumpy, hairy, toe-like fossil could reveal the evolution of molluscs - The Guardian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- How Evolution Alters Biological Invasions - ScienceBlog.com (blog) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cultural evolution and the mutilation of women - The Economist - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Late-night hosts on the evolution of Trump: 'Dickish to dictatorish' - The Guardian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Gold's Gym Regina rebrands to become Evolution Fitness - Regina Leader-Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Incremental Versus Radical Innovation: A Response to Josh Swamidass on Evolution and Cancer - Discovery Institute - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Blockchain: Investment (R)Evolution For Developing Markets - Forbes - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- See the Evolution of the Famed Porsche 911 in 7 Photos - WIRED - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Exhibition charts 500 years of evolution of robots - Phys.Org - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- How evolution turned ordinary plants into ravenous meat-eaters - Wired.co.uk - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Are Evolution Fresh Drinks 'Poison'? - snopes.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Non-Chromosomal DNA Drives Tumor Evolution - The Scientist - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Chimpanzee feet allow scientists a new grasp on human foot evolution - Phys.Org - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- 'Goldilocks' genes that tell the tale of human evolution hold clues to variety of diseases - Science Daily - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Pac-Man is Coming to 'The Sandbox Evolution' Next Week - Touch Arcade - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Chimpanzee feet allow scientists a new grasp on human foot ... - Science Daily - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Bacteria sleep, then rapidly evolve, to survive antibiotic treatments - Phys.Org - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Orangutan squeaks reveal language evolution, says study - BBC ... - BBC News - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Evolution gives rhyme its reason - Aurora News Register - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Deeper origin of gill evolution suggests 'active lifestyle' link in early vertebrates - Science Daily - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- From Tara Palmer-Tomkinson to Cara Delevingne: the evolution of the It girl - The Guardian - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Banned TED Talk: Rupert Sheldrake The Science Delusion - Collective Evolution - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- VOTD: Watch the Evolution of Keanu Reeves' Acting Career - /FILM - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go Eevee evolution: How to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon with new names - Eurogamer.net - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Horse evolution bucks evolutionary theory - Science News - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Samsung's Chromebook Pro highlights the category's continued evolution - TechCrunch - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Scientists solve fish evolution mystery - Phys.Org - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Wildfire evolution forces Forest Service into new thinking - The Daily Progress - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- How the horse can help us answer one of evolution's biggest questions - Raw Story - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- A primer on Darwin Day: Some religious groups embrace 'Theistic evolution' - LancasterOnline - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Apple: Evolution of in-car audio tech moving at 'speed of sound ... - Times of India - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Mariska Hargitay's Evolution from '80s Glam to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - TVOvermind - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Evolution of baseball from power to speed has left SBs behind ... - Chicago Sun-Times - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- More order with less judgment: An optimal theory of the evolution of cooperation - Science Daily - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- J. Albert C. Uy speaks on evolution, biodiversity in bellied flycatcher population - The College Reporter - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- See the Evolution of Movie Magic With Every Oscar Winner for Visual Effects in History - Gizmodo - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Numerology: Here's What Your Name Says About You - Collective Evolution - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- The Evolution of Valentine's Day - Inside Science News Service - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Why evolution may be tech billionaires' biggest enemy - The Week Magazine - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Community Viewpoint: Evolution, like gravity, is much more than theory it is a fact - Kdminer - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- How the horse can help us answer one of evolution's biggest questions - Phys.Org - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- How evolution alters biological invasions - Science Daily - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Cockeyed squid shines light on deep sea evolution - Christian Science Monitor - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Eye Evolution: A Closer Look - Discovery Institute - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Evolution always wins: University of Idaho video game uses mutating aliens to teach science concepts - The Spokesman-Review - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Geneticists track the evolution of parenting - Phys.Org - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- How this cockeyed squid shines a light on deep sea evolution - Christian Science Monitor - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- 4 Possible Roadmaps For macOS and iOS Evolution - The Mac Observer (blog) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- The Evolution of the Energy Capital of the World - Texas Monthly - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Humons presents an atypical dance evolution - Detroit Metro Times - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Pokemon Go Adds 80 Generation 2 Pokemon, New Evolution Items This Week - IGN - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Fossil discovery rewrites understanding of reproductive evolution ... - Science Daily - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- 'X-Men: Evolution' Is the Gateway Drug of Comic Book Shows - Geek - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- A cultural catch: Evolution of wooden halibut hooks carved by native ... - Science Daily - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Bremerton's Fitness Evolution now Planet Fitness - Kitsap Sun (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Eye Evolution: The Waiting Is the Hardest Part - Discovery Institute - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Evolution Of The Yeezy: 2009-2017 - HotNewHipHop - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Prebiotic evolution: Hairpins help each other out - Science Daily - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- This 'Live Birth' Fossil Could Change Humanity's Understanding Of Evolution - Daily Caller - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Mysterious Ancient Stonehenge-Like Circles Found in Amazon Rainforest - Collective Evolution - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go': How to Evolve Poliwhirl Into Politoed - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go': How to Evolve Slowpoke Into Slowbro or Slowking - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go': How to Evolve Gloom Into Bellossom - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go Dragon Scale - how to evolve Seadra into Kingdra and how to get the Dragon Scale - Eurogamer.net - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go Eevee evolution: How to evolve Eevee into Umbreon, Espeon, Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon with new ... - Eurogamer.net - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- University of Pittsburgh guest speaker discloses evolution findings - UTA The Shorthorn - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go' Special Items: Drop Rates for Evolution Items & Berries at Pokestops - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- How Vedic Philosophy Influenced Nikola Tesla's Idea of 'Free Energy' - Collective Evolution - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Migration to America took long enough for evolution to happen on the way - Ars Technica - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- How To Choose Your Eevee Evolution In 'Pokmon GO:' Umbreon And Espeon Edition - Forbes - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Evolution Items - IGN - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Congo River fish evolution shaped by intense rapids: Genomic study ... - Science Daily - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go - How to evolve, use Special Items, when to evolve or Power Up your Pokmon - Eurogamer.net - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]