BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I’m not going open this up with some big nerdy rant. I’m not going to pull big descriptive words out of my ass to talk about a band that seems like the reason sites like Pitchfork exist. On the surface, and just based on the involvement of who listens, who reviews, and the general vibe, I feel like this band will be a low-fi, snarky, low-dub, hipster glasses indie band. I hope I’m wrong. I hope this perfect example of “judging a book by its cover” turns out to be a big morale of the story type of lesson.
The truth is that I don’t know shit about Sleater-Kinney. I know it was an all-female band that a lot of the “cool people” dug. I was under the impression that they were around in the early 90’s around the time of the The Pixies and were in that whole upper north west indie rock world. I heard a lot of good things about this band and by all critical accounts, they were “acclaimed”.
I just never crossed paths with them. No real reason why. I am a big fan of artsy indie rock and should have gone out of my way to indulge in new music goodness. It would be my love for comedy to really expose me to this band. After seeing Carrie Brownstein’s work on “Portlandia” I wanted to check out her “day job” so to speak. The more I hear her voice the bigger a fan I become so why not?
Sadly, there are only five music videos for Sleater-Kinney. They released a few albums, but didn’t get around to putting a video out until 1999. So this is genuinely my first impression of the band. I’ve never knowingly listening to them and have no opinion. Today I find out what’s the deal with this Sleater-Kinney band…
Track: "Get Up"
Album: ”The Hot Rock”
Year: 1999
Director: Miranda July
This music video came out in 1999, but I think it had to because it wanted to see every single 1990’s cliché available to them before unleashing this moody artsty video. I know that sounded snarky, but I enjoyed it. It’s a washed out black and white video of shots of the band hanging out with friends in a big nice field. Meanwhile, there is a not-so-spoon-fed narrative of people being lonely, panics, and in needed of an escape, perhaps to a nice field full of friends. The visual of this video is what’s so cliché. It looks like all of those late night music videos that MTV would barley show and you’d have to find on secondary markets like local access shows and college video rotations. It’s ridiculously low budget and “DIY-cool”, but it never really bores me. That’s a plus. I enjoyed the song a lot more than the video.
Rating: 6.75
Track: "You're No Rock n' Roll Fun"
Album: ”All Hands on the Bad One”
Year: 2000
Director: Brett Vapnek
This video is WAY more conventional. Almost too conventional. The band plays a poppier rock tune in an empty white space. This is cut with shots of the band rocking out with fun colorful and cool backgroups. It’s a simple edit. Then for the guitar solo break down, the “fourth wall” is broken and the camera spins and we see the crew and gathering of people watching the video being made. It then gets a little more tongue in cheek with its tone and delivery. It’s casual punk rock with a smile. It’s an enjoyable song and a silly video that still manages to maintain their “indie cred”. Nice balance.
Rating: 7.5
Track: "Entertain"
Album: ”The Woods”
Year: 2005
Director: Molly and Mariah
This video is really serious. You can tell by the moody shadows and the almost-menacing nature shots. The band rocks out in the middle of the woods as we get some close ups of spiderwebs, the tangled view of upward tree branches, and the band themselves. The song is pretty bad ass. The band kicks ass on this one. The direction almost feels like we’re spying on the band, but they know we’re spying and they don’t give a shit. There is nothing too out of the ordinary here. There doesn’t seem to be much of a narrative other than the band wanted to go out to the woods and record a killer video.
Rating: 8.50
Track: "Jumpers"
Album: ”The Woods”
Year: 2005
Director: Molly and Mariah
This video isn’t too groundbreaking, but it’s genuinely engaging. It’s boredom at work, sitting in a car, walking around, sitting at a computer, and just boredom everywhere. Work sucks, life is mundane, and everyone is compartmentalized within their own cubicle. Meanwhile, the band rocks out in business attire. Eventually the bored woman makes wings out of office supplies and flies off the roof of the building. The song is really catchy and engaging. I’m surprised I’ve not heard more of this band until now. My circles suck. I’m going to assume the woman did not die once she jumped off a building with office supply wings. If so, this song took a really harsh turn. I’m a little sad now.
Rating: 7.75
Track: "Modern Girl" (live)
Album: ”The Woods”
Year: 2006
Director: Christoph Green
Shots of cereal and introduction titles take us to the band chilling in a nice spot for a “in house” live version of the song. We get cool close ups of the band just doing their thing in stripped down rehearsal type of vibe. The atmosphere is an empty living room with people just standing around assumingly with cameras and equipment. It’s really raw and unfiltered. It’s almost like the behind the scenes footage of a bigger music video shoot. The vibe fits the music that much more and adds to the mood. By the end of the song you feel enthralled by the simplicity of the surroundings and the fullness of the sound. Good song. Good video.
Rating: 7.25
What is YOUR favorite Sleater-Kinney video?
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