The dream of the 1970s is alive and well in Portland. Sleater-Kinney are back as a self-producing duo, and they are channeling sounds from King Crimson, Patti Smith, Wire, and Tom Petty.. They left the sonic palette wide open, bringing in textures I have rarely heard on previous Sleater-Kinney releases: did I hear an acoustic guitar in there, two keyboard parts at once, a tasty bass fill?

It works--it just wasn't what I was expecting sonically from a Sleater-Kinney record. But, I'm still getting the razor sharp guitar work of Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker and songs that stick to your ribs with anthemic moments. For all the keyboards and layers on the recording, Path of Wellness still lets the songs take the lead, and with joyous commitment forward tracks like "Worry With You" and the defiant demand of support I hear on "Method", I look forward to singing along with these tracks for years to come.

Heck, I might even have to air keyboard a couple of those Wurlitzer parts, which certainly marks a new chapter in the story of Sleater-Kinney, but I'm still reading the book.

External Link

Sleater-Kinney - official site

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