The Hot Rock
Encyclopedia
The Hot Rock is the fourth album
by the American
indie rock
band Sleater-Kinney
. It was released on February 23, 1999, on Kill Rock Stars
.
The album marks a considerable change in the band's sound, veering into a more singer/songwriter direction closer to indie rock than the punk rock
style of its predecessors. As Rolling Stone
put it, Sleater-Kinney "delved into more oblique sounds... Brownstein's abandoned power chords to slither in abstract patterns, backed by Weiss' increasingly subtle and complex drumming [and] Tucker expanded her vocal range steering from bellow to fragile ululations...." The album's sound and lyrics were heavily influenced by the music of The Go-Betweens
"Get Up" was released as a 7" single
(Kill Rock Stars, KRS337) one month before the album, on January 22, 1999. The vinyl single's B-side features "By The Time You're Twenty Five", while the CD single includes a third song, "Tapping". These two songs were not included in The Hot Rock CD. A music video
- the band's first - was made for "Get Up
" under the direction of writer and performance artist Miranda July
.
The cover is a photo shot looking south down Broadway Avenue in downtown Portland, Oregon
.
.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 1994. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington, the group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a...
. It was released on February 23, 1999, on Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
.
The album marks a considerable change in the band's sound, veering into a more singer/songwriter direction closer to indie rock than the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
style of its predecessors. As Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
put it, Sleater-Kinney "delved into more oblique sounds... Brownstein's abandoned power chords to slither in abstract patterns, backed by Weiss' increasingly subtle and complex drumming [and] Tucker expanded her vocal range steering from bellow to fragile ululations...." The album's sound and lyrics were heavily influenced by the music of The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
"Get Up" was released as a 7" single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
(Kill Rock Stars, KRS337) one month before the album, on January 22, 1999. The vinyl single's B-side features "By The Time You're Twenty Five", while the CD single includes a third song, "Tapping". These two songs were not included in The Hot Rock CD. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
- the band's first - was made for "Get Up
Get Up (Sleater-Kinney song)
Get Up is the eighth track and only single from Sleater-Kinney's 1999 album, The Hot Rock. It was the first song for which the group ever produced a music video; the video was directed by filmmaker, author, and artist Miranda July. The song was written in Calvin Johnson's basement.-CD Liner...
" under the direction of writer and performance artist Miranda July
Miranda July
Miranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
.
The cover is a photo shot looking south down Broadway Avenue in downtown Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Sleater-KinneySleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 1994. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington, the group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a...
.
- "Start Together" - 2:38
- "Hot Rock" - 3:17
- "The End of You" - 3:20
- "Burn, Don't Freeze" - 3:19
- "God Is a Number" - 3:44
- "Banned from the End of the World" - 2:09
- "Don't Talk Like" - 3:04
- "Get UpGet Up (Sleater-Kinney song)Get Up is the eighth track and only single from Sleater-Kinney's 1999 album, The Hot Rock. It was the first song for which the group ever produced a music video; the video was directed by filmmaker, author, and artist Miranda July. The song was written in Calvin Johnson's basement.-CD Liner...
" - 3:46 - "One Song for You" - 2:49
- "The Size of Our Love" - 3:12
- "Living in Exile" - 2:31
- "Memorize Your Lines" - 3:10
- "A Quarter to Three" - 4:03
Personnel
- Carrie BrownsteinCarrie BrownsteinCarrie Rachel Brownstein , is an American musician, writer, and actress, best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the now-defunct Portland, Oregon-based band Sleater-Kinney...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Corin TuckerCorin TuckerCorin Lisa Tucker is a singer and guitarist, best known for her work with rock band Sleater-Kinney.- Early life :In the early 1990s, Tucker attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where she studied film, political economy, and social change...
– vocals, guitar - Janet WeissJanet WeissJanet Lee Weiss was the drummer of now defunct Sleater-Kinney and is currently a member of Quasi and Wild Flag. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album Mirror Traffic.-Early life:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion