sleater-kinney is dead; long live (the) sleater-kinney (thread)

The 2 tracks out basically disqualify this from being a trash album already tbqh. My taste doesn’t hinge on Janet’s so I’ll form my own opinion on the new record
 
Teeeee said:
Janet signs her post, "The Drummer"
Carrie and Corin sign their post, "Sleater Kinney". Not "Carrie and Corin"

We are not in the know. But from the outside, those can definitely be interpreted as passive aggressive lobs at each other.

I have seen Janet Weiss as the drummer for SK for the last time. I wish I knew that at the time. Actually, it's probably best I didn't. I would have sobbed so loud that CB would have stopped the show to slap me out of it.
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You never know. I'm sure I'm being overly optimistic, but, after the life cycle of this album, who knows what will happen. The album could tank critically and fences could be mended. Or not. I mean, I've seen some reunions that I never thought I'd see in the music world.
 
Damn. I mean, I LOVE Hurry On Home. One of my favorite singles of this year, period. And The Future Is Here is a decent track too.

I don't know who caused what, but what Janet does is her business. I'm getting this as the ROTM either way, so nothing changes there for me.

That said, there's a Cigarettes After Sex concert the same night as the SK show. I know which one I'm going to now.
 
My anticipation for the new S-K album is that it sounds like a slightly grittier version of the style St. Vincent went with for "Masseduction". I don't think it will be a bad record at all. I think it will be a record that doesn't really sound like what we expect a S-K album to sound like. For better or worse.
 
I’d love to be an aggressive contrarian to a point no one was making and do it in the name of selflessly supporting women’s autonomy and creative choices :cool: but instead I’ll say that the new record and marketing roll out is absolutely dripping in a Annie Clark’s musical and visual aesthetic and that’s a pretty bold choice for SK. It does not surprise me at all that something like this could lead a member to quit a band, especially a band that just reunited not too long ago after a previous break up. If you dig the change, that’s cool. Janet was pretty clear she didn’t and, if there is legitimate Annie Clark hate being posted somewhere on this internet, I would agree that it’s misdirected energy and misguided hate. Sorry if I’m being agreeable with the majority of posters and not a rebellious lone wolf.:p
 
Sanders said:
Damn. I mean, I LOVE Hurry On Home. One of my favorite singles of this year, period. And The Future Is Here is a decent track too.

I don't know who caused what, but what Janet does is her business. I'm getting this as the ROTM either way, so nothing changes there for me.

That said, there's a Cigarettes After Sex concert the same night as the SK show. I know which one I'm going to now.
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I'm with you on "Hurry On Home," that song is fantastic. Before the news broke I was actually looking forward to S-K 3.0. I liked their reunion album when it came out but it quickly fell out of rotation, and I'm not opposed to a synth-y turn.

BUT!

Janet's departure gives me enough pause that I'm now 80% sure I'll be swapping in August. I'd rather hear the entire album first and then decide. If that means I lose out on the VMP version, no a big deal, there will be no lack of other options/versions.
 
Teeeee said:
Janet signs her post, "The Drummer"
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I think @Teeeee really nailed it here. Besides the change to more of a greatest-common-denominator sellout sound, it seems someone was pretty dismissive toward her, referring to her as "the drummer" as if she specifically didn't matter because anyone could drum for them. The likelihood that it was Corin or Carrie being that dismissive is pretty small, IMO, as the trio go way back... so it was someone else.

There's also a not-insignificant age gap involved here, as "the drummer" is roughly 10 years older than the other two and is more of a fully-formed person (again, IMO) as to what she likes and doesn't like. I see Janet as a rocker who would rather be true to the sounds she likes to make rather than take the what-is-most-sellable path.

If Weiss' current (?) band - Slang - puts out an album, I'm all over it. Weiss and Kathy Foster are forces to be reckoned with.
 
Yeah, this definitely sucks. Based on the new singles, it does seem like her skill set is being marginalized. If she feels like the band is going in a direction that doesn’t take advantage of what she brings to the table, I don’t blame her for leaving.

I’m still interested to hear the new album, but if they continue to record under the S-K name without Weiss, I imagine I’ll treat them the same way as the Kim Deal-less Pixies—with disregard.
 
Others may feel differently, and I respect that, but Sleater-Kinney without Janet Weiss is not a band that holds much interest for me. For what it’s worth, I have been a fan since “Dig Me Out” (coincidentally, Janet’s first). On a related note, I firmly believe that Janet could make any band better.
 
If we're bringing Radiohead into this conversation, then I am reminded of some interviews around the Kid A/Amnesiac period where it was discussed that Phil had points where he was ready to quit Radiohead because he didn't know where he was fitting in with their new sound. Eventually, he embraced it, ran with it, and, what do you know, they never made albums like that again.

Something tells me we are never going to know if Janet didn't embrace the sound, if her feelings or contributions were downplayed, who was actually in control over what the new S-K sounded like, or if there were deeper interpersonal issues.

But I will say this: Janet's presence as a member was palpable and undeniable from her first hits on "Dig Me Out," signalling that she was more than just a drummer for the band, she was a driving force of their sound. There must have been some serious behind-the-scenes problems if she decided the best course of action was to walk away.
 
I wonder if they might reach out to Linda Pitmon. Probably not available on such short notice, but, she drums in Filthy Friends behind Corin. Probably run into some of the same issues as Janet with regards to the new material, but, she's a damn good drummer that might be able to help them out. Her work with Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 is noteworthy. Really curious to see what they do for this tour.
 
Still going to get the album (only briefly heard one of the new songs) and have tickets for the February Glasgow gig, but this does feel like a big deal. Kind of like Gerry Love leaving Teenage Fanclub, it definitely will be a different band.

My tip for a replacement would be Cat Myers - ex Honeyblood, temporary Mogwai drummer - really, really good drummer.
 
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