Dig Me Out

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (224 ratings)
ALBUM INFORMATION
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Total Tracks: 13   Total Length: 36:33

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Ann Powers

eMusic Contributor

Ann Powers is the author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America and co-editor of Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop, and Rap. She is a former pop critic...more »

04.30.09
Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out
2009 | Label: Kill Rock Stars / Redeye

t the end of the decade of "women in rock" (yes, Virginia, we only get one), this trio born of the Northwest "riot grrrl" scene defined feminist punk by ingraining the lessons they'd learned in their Women Studies classes as deeply into their music as phallocentrism is etched into the sound of Led Zep or Snoop Dog. Go beyond the lyrics (which do read like a punk Sisterhood Is Powerful) to revel in the non-linear dialogue of awesome yowler Corin Tucker and chatterbox Carrie Brownstein, the taut-yet-flexible song structures rising up from Janet Weiss's Amazonian drums and Brownstein's guitar heroism, which sparkles in circles instead of hammering for the gods. Dig Me Out has the anthems any grassroots movement needs, but the band can also do lovestruck ("One More Hour"), funny ("Little Babies") and spooky ("Jenny") —` thus proving conclusively, for any doubters, that grrrls are people, too.

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Six Star Rating

HiggyBaby

I love this album: the furious tempos, the interplay between the two guitars - and two guitarists, the drummer's wild abandon co-existing with precision, grace and sheer badassness. This is a solid album, worth the many rotations it will receive.

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Angry, yet accessible

CWinDC

The perfect bit for an all-women alt-rock band.

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Epiphany

ktpapa

This is my sentimental favorite S-K album - the album that determined the band's place in my heart & in my ears. I'll never tire of Janet's steady hand and ferocious beat, Corin's voice, and Carrie's wit. The fact that it is also a most gorgeous post-punk album is a bonus. If they ever regroup, I hope they begin the first show with One More Hour, which was the last song they played on 12 Aug. 2006. Instant Classic.

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Rocking out break-out album

EMUSIC-0205F55C

Far and away my favorite album, this is the first with the new (and lasting) drummer, Janet. They still have a magical combination that permits them to absolutely rock out while singing out not insubstantial material. The political is personal in their lyrics. Corin's voice is more untrained than in subsequent albums, but neverthless has power and beauty in it.

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Non-stop rock n' roll rush

Den-Bag

Dig Me Out is a lot like the Clash's first album: it never stops blazing, it never stops challenging your mind, it never stops being infectious, and it never stops kicking your ass. Check out One More Hour - one of all-time best breakup songs ever - where Corin wails her heartbreak as Carrie's guitar absolutely sets fire to the ruins. Or Drama, which seems to simultaneously decry and celebrate their own (yours and mine?) not-quite-controllable drama queen antics. What a crime to choose highlights from this album - every track is dynamite.

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Turn It On

gregrmurphy

If somehow I make a movie and there's a bit hot make-out scene, "Turn It On" will be what you are hearing. Mmmmmmm.

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They Say All Media Guide

Having reinvented the girl-punk wheel with Call the Doctor, Sleater-Kinney continues to expand the boundaries of the form with the stunning Dig Me Out. Leaner and more intricate than its predecessor, the record is remarkably confident and mature; instead of succumbing to the pressures of “next big thing” status, the trio finds vindication in all of their critical adulation — the vocals are even more ferocious, the melodies are even more infectious, and the ideals are even more passionate. – Jason Ankeny