the hot rock

Sleater-Kinney expanded on their punk rock sound with the deep melancholy of this flawed and beautiful uncut stone.  The band had found critical acclaim with their second album 'Dig Me Out'; but they explored a more personal sound on 'The Hot Rock'.  The sessions at Avast studio in Seattle, Washington were produced by Roger Moutenot and featured Carrie Brownstein on guitar and vocals, Corin Tucker on vocals and guitar, and Janet Weiss on drums and percussion,  with Seth Warren on violin on "The Size of Our Love" and "Memorize Your Lines", and Roger Moutenot on slide guitar on "A Quarter to Three".  

Tucker said at the time:   "I think that we try and approach the songs in a different way. I think that we wanted to make a record that was different. And we were also writing songs that were more complex in a way. And the songs reflect what we have been going through this last year and a half, both as a band and as people...I think that we were definitely inspired by music to do what we wanted with our lives and if people are able to get that from our music I think that's great. But I don't think we can censor ourselves in any way to be what people expect of us, I think we just need to be who we are."


Brownstein considered:    "The past year and a half was a time of reflection for us, not only as a band, but individually. It was a time of examination, seeking out what was important in our lives and the things that made us happy. So I think we had to prioritize certain things in our life and where the band fit into our lives. And I think we realized that it wasn't that high up in what we found fulfilling. But I think a lot of these songs are drawn from that year of introspection and reflect an internal journey...I think we realized that the band is part of a continuum in our lives where it can exist equally important to other elements in our lives and because it is not the only thing we draw inspiration and happiness from, it makes it something we can keep coming back to, because it then remains rewarding."

Weiss reflected:    "We talk things out definitely. We don't really do any strong-arming. Everyone pretty much has to agree for a decision to be made...We're trying to explore the dynamics of the songs and see how they fit into the live performance as a whole. They sort of take on different personalities at a concert than they do on record and we just have to familiarize ourselves with that. It's impossible to say how a song is going to sound until you go on stage and play it. It's much different than practice. But for the most part they sounded good."

'The Hot Rock' went to number one hundred and eighty-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and number twelve on the Heatseekers Albums chart.





http://www.sleater-kinney.com/










"Hot Rock"  




"Burn, Don't Freeze"  





"One Song for You"  





"The Size of Our Love"  





"Memorize Your Lines"  




"A Quarter to Three"  









'The Hot Rock'
full album:



All music composed by Sleater-Kinney.

1. "Start Together"   2:38
2. "Hot Rock"   3:17
3. "The End of You"   3:20
4. "Burn, Don't Freeze"   3:19
5. "God Is a Number"   3:44
6. "Banned from the End of the World"   2:09
7. "Don't Talk Like"   3:04
8. "Get Up"   3:46
9. "One Song for You"   2:49
10. "The Size of Our Love"   3:12
11. "Living in Exile"   2:31
12. "Memorize Your Lines"   3:10
13. "A Quarter to Three"   4:03