As much as Im all for the young feminist voice, Im more than a little resistant to letting the superlatives rip about the critics hottest rock babes who demand respect. Whether theyre being accused of being revolutionary poets or ripping out jugular veins with their angst-driven musical superpowers, I wonder if even they can take all the drooling seriously. Hey, nobodys waking up in an East Bloc bathtub full of ice missing a kidney, and theres nothing sophisticated or very political about Sleater-Kinneys appetizer defiance. So lets leave the mythology right there.
At best, theyre neato, keen stuff like the penny loafers of punk rock. Corin Tucker can wail, but I dont think shes changing anybodys world except maybe Ken Tuckers (same last name is sheer coincidence). Its hard not to draw a comparison here to Kathleen Hannas latest reinvention of the truly badass female self, Julie Ruin. Now theres a real conundrum thatll draw anyone wholl listen into a tangled web of female identity, varying shades of socialist thought and personal politics without rules. Sure Sleater-Kinney blow off the major labels, but even Ani Difranco can do that. Via "God is a Number," theyre also rebels against the future, hitting the technophobic panic button eons too late to even be relevant. If the machines really are going to rise up and eat us, I hope they get you guys first.
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