Sleater-Kinney
Little Rope
Loma Vista
Okay. Let’s address the elephant in the room. Little Rope is Sleater-Kinney’s second album after the departure of longtime drummer and fan favorite Janet Weiss. She joined Sleater-Kinney for its breakout third full length, 1997’s Dig Me Out. That album got the tribute treatment with the 2022 release of Dig Me In. All 13 tracks were covered by different artists ranging from Wilco to St. Vincent. Speaking of St. Vincent, there was speculation among some fans that her production involvement with 2019’s The Center Won’t Hold had much to do with Weiss’ departure weeks before its release. Perhaps coincidence, longtime St. Vincent producer John Congleton worked with Sleater-Kinney for the first time on Little Rope.
But fans need not potentially fret. Sleater-Kinney’s 2021 release without Weiss, Path of Wellness, was not as well received among certain folks as the band’s previous albums. While correlation does not imply causation, some S-K fans saw this as evidence that the band’s glory days were behind them. Maybe. Maybe not. Congleton’s production enhances — not drowns out — Sleater-Kinney’s trademark sonic complexity and catchiness with atmospherics and appropriately-placed synths on their 11th full-length.
Singer-guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein’s bond goes beyond Sleater-Kinney, which they formed 30 years ago. It also goes beyond merely dating back in the day. In the Fall of 2022, the U.S. Embassy could not reach Carrie Brownstein, so they informed her emergency contact, Corin Tucker, that Carrie’s mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident while vacationing in Italy. While many parts of the album had already been written, that tragedy shaped what would become Little Rope.
Truth be told, Little Rope pulls together all the best Sleater-Kinney elements: the complex yet catchy interplay of Tucker’s alternately tuned “rhythm” guitar, and Brownstein’s “lead” axe that effortlessly snakes around each song, and yes, some damn fine drumming. And lyrically? Well, Little Rope continues Sleater-Kinney’s fine tradition of connecting the political with the personal. The album is also tidy. The messy feelings, grief, anger, and triumph are held in 10 tracks. The shortest song, the insistent and staccato “Needlessly Wild,” is just under three minutes, and the longest, the expertly tight “Don’t Feel Right,” is just under four. The album title is a lyric in “Small Things,” which falls smack dab in the middle of the LP. Under synths, a spiky guitar, and a rumbling rhythm, Tucker sings, “Can you give me a little rope / C’mon!”
Lead single (and first track) “Hell” starts with spooky atmospherics and a four-chord riff that ungirds each of the verses. Tucker calmly starts, “Hell don’t have no worries / hell don’t have no past / hell is just a signpost / when you take a certain path / hell needs no invitation / hell don’t make no fuss / hell is desperation / and a young man with a gun.” Corin then begins each chorus with “You Ask,” as the guitars, synthesizers, and drums explode into a frenzy that amplifies the initial spookiness.
The second single, “Say It Like You Mean It,” and final single (and last track), “Untidy Creature,” are both anthemic in different ways. The swooshing synths and stompy chords of “Say It Like You Mean It” could accompany the credits after a movie with a triumphant ending. The steady and defiant “Untidy Creature” is an extended metaphor of being caged. “Looking at me / like a problem to solve / Like an untidy creature / that you can’t push around.” The music video for “Untidy Creature” showcases Australian freediver Amber Bourke in a bathtub purposefully putting her head under water for nearly three minutes — most of the song. She pops her head out just as Tucker wails “whooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” The single-shot video combines simple elements to create something initially terrifying but ultimately impressive. Kinda like Sleater-Kinney itself.
