Review Summary: just in case you needed any further proof who the greatest rock band in the world are
"Four seconds was the longest wait". That repeated line was how Sleater-Kinney ended their 2005 song ‘Jumpers’, a fiery affirming song about suicide. After that, the band broke up. A ten year wait, and the greatest rock band in the world just dropped another great rock album.
No Cities To Love isn’t innovative. It’s not brimming with radical ideas. It is what it wants to be. Three women bashing the *** out of their instruments and having a good time churning out song after song. Carrie Brownstein’s guitar still bristles and burns. Corin Tucker’s wail is still impenetrable. Janet Weiss still smashes the hell out of her drums. 'No Cities To Love' doesn’t possess a single drop in energy since the band left us with 2005’s incredible
The Woods.
At thirty-two minutes, not a second of these ten songs are wasted. Opener ‘Price Tag’ immediately sets off with intertwining guitars and Tucker’s expertly pronounced yelp. ‘Fangless’ features an almost dancey beat and a welcome return to Brownstein’s dramatic vocals on the chorus. ‘Surface Envy’ and the title track have loud sing-a-long hooks. ‘Bury Our Friends’ has everything that made the band incredible, in how pronounced and tight the instrumentation and combined vocals are, creating that unique heavy defiant atmosphere. Closer ‘Fade’ opens with a snake like riff, before Tucker finally delivers the most haunting vocal delivery on the album, over doom like guitars, and then a funky mid section before it’s back to the chorus and Tucker signs off, exhausted and drained.
No Cities To Love embodies Sleater-Kinney’s importance in that it doesn’t waste time, it doesn’t mess about. No song is over four minutes long. They arrived just after the peak of the 90s’ riot grrrl scene, but didn’t take up the sloganeering, soapbox route of other bands. They let their songs speak for themselves, the girl power was inherent, immediately canonising their place in rock history with songs like 'I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone' and 'You’re No Rock ‘n’ Roll Fun'.
No Cities To Love continues that streak. All Sleater-Kinney are here to do is churn out one heavy bristling rock tune after another, and it’s all the more endearing to hear they’re still having a ***ing good time doing it. Welcome back.
