No Cities to Love, the first album from Sleater-Kinney in a decade, is tight, powerful and really enjoyable. That says a lot given that nine of 10 reunion albums really fall flat.
The band decided to record the album before going out on tour. I’m not sure how much of a difference that made here but No Cities picks up right where the trio (Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss) left off in 2005.
“We definitely didn’t want to merely do a reunion where we came back and played a bunch of shows,” Brownstein told USA Today.
Brownstein is probably better known today as co-creator and co-star of Portlandia along with Fred Armisen. But she and Weiss were also members of the recently departed Wild Flag, another excellent yet short-lived girl group.
It’s impressive that there’s no flab on No Cities. Following a year that had strong showings from female indie artists, this album holds up well. Best tracks: Bury Our Friends, Surface Envy, No Anthems, Price Tag.
All the Young Punks 