#189 Sleater-Kinney, 'Dig Me Out' (1997)

Previously #272

When it comes to riot grrrl bands, you cannot go past Sleater-Kinney. Perhaps the most prolific of all the riot grrrl bands, they have released 8 albums to date since 1994, but ‘Dig Me Out’ is by far their crowning glory. In a time when male bands were dominating, especially in genres such as Grunge, Punk and Rock, Sleater-Kinney released a record to rival them. This record broke down barriers for women in Punk music.

The album in itself is unique. It’s all guitars and no bass. This allowed the guitars to have a massive sound, not having to make way for the bass It’s all about the guitar and vocal interplay between the two founding members and mainstays of the band, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. They were complemented by new member, Janet Weiss on the drums. The album open with the title track, which has an absolutely massive sound. The frenetic drums, the huge drums and Tuckers impassioned vocals set the tone. The next song, ‘One More Hour’ was the first single. I guess, in relative terms, it’s a bit more “radio-friendly.” But it’s as loud as the previous track. Next single, ‘Little Babies,’ is even more “radio-friendly” with a little “dum dum di di di dum dum” in the chorus creating the sing-a-longs at their live shows. My favourite track on the record was ‘It’s Enough.’ You can honestly imagine Nirvana performing this one. But they didn’t. Sleater-Kinney did and they did it perfectly, smashing down the walls and glass ceilings with two guitars, a pair of vocalists and massive drums. Such a cool record!

#rs500albums