(4.5 stars) Anger is rarely more melodic
finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 12/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Hooks! Hooks, hooks, hooks, hooks, hooks! And, um... a couple more hooks! I mentioned the hooks, didn't I? And riffs! This one's got all kinds of riffs! Original riffs, too. And those harmonies. Love the harmonies. The title track has a bit off all of those, plus some cool, distinctive drumming. "Ballad of a Ladyman" and "Ironclad" give you plenty of that, too. And that melody on "Youth Decay" is something fantastic, and the guitar toning is awesome. And then they get in another one of their uber-clever "rockers about rock" on "You're No Rock `n' Roll Fun". And the minute-and-a-half "Professional" is one hell of a song. It's almost brilliant. It would be my favorite song if it weren't for the title track and its awesome, godlike hooks. After "Professional", the record slows down a bit: "Was it a Lie?" has cool lyrics but is kinda dull; "Male Model" is really dull; "Leave You Behind" sounds like, I dunno, Green Day or Avril Laveigne or some other pop-punker. But "Pompeii" and its unrelated vocal-harmonies owns. Seriously, it owns. And the mellow "Swimmer" has a fantastic guitar toning and great riff and is easily my favorite "quiet" Sleater-Kinney song. I think I heard it on the radio a bunch, too, though I might be confused. Apparently it wasn't even released as a single, so I highly doubt I ever heard it on the radio, but I like the tune fine."