Sleater-Kinney’s ‘The Woods’ surpasses group’s own heights

Editor’s Note: In Sound Advice, the first Friday of every month, veteran BDN entertainment writer Dale McGarrigle, former British music-press writer Adam Corrigan, BDN sportswriter and rock buff Andrew Neff and a revolving stable of BDN writers review new albums from across the musical spectrum.

“The Woods” (Sub Pop) – Sleater-Kinney

Every successive album that Sleater-Kinney releases becomes my favorite. At different times 1997’s “Dig Me Out,” 2000’s “All Hands on the Bad One” and 2002’s “One Beat” have been my albums of choice, each of them very different, stylistically and otherwise.

“The Woods,” Sleater-Kinney’s seventh studio album, is once again a change of form, and yes, it’s my favorite to date. It’s very rare for a band to consistently get better with every album – even luminaries such as Radiohead and Wilco have faltered a bit. Sleater-Kinney doesn’t appear to have that problem.

“The Woods,” in a word, rocks. The band decided at some point in recent years not to not fear the reaper, and embrace the fuzzed-out supersonics of classic rock – and to great effect. Album opener “The Fox” tells a fable of sorts, pairing it with massive slabs of guitar and Corin Tucker’s piercing howl. “Entertain” is an indictment of the reality TV culture, with an exciting, martial breakdown at the end.

It’s not a classic rock album at all, though – sure, there’s an 11-minute epic; sure, there’s a sludgy guitar solo in the middle of “What’s Mine Is Yours” that recalls Deep Purple more than Bikini Kill. But it’s got more soul, more anger and more social relevance in one song than the Bravery will ever have. It’s a big smack in the face to the posturing and irony rampant in today’s mass culture. It’s a punk album, through and through.

By combining the urgency of punk with the power of big rock pyrotechnics, Sleater-Kinney has broadened their fan base. Undoubtedly some established fans will long for the days of its short, twitchy punk songs. As one of those established fans, though, this is my new favorite. And it might just stay that way. – Emily Burnham

“Waiting for The Sirens’ Call” (Warner Bros.) – New Order

Joy Division’s profile has risen in the last couple of years – thanks to an endless line of recent bands either name checking them, or denying having ever heard them, despite seeming to be indebted to them. And trying not to be overshadowed by JD’s media presence is the one band who genuinely cannot escape them. Yes, New Order is back with a new album.

Not too many bands sound like New Order, which isn’t to say they haven’t been incredibly influential. They were lurking at the genesis of new wave, Madchester and the British House scene, and yet always remained unmistakable.

In large part, this is due to Bernard Sumner’s voice, dripping innocence and longing. Moreover, it is down to Peter Hook’s unique bass playing – guitar skimming the floor, fingers high on the frets, and here on “Waiting for The Sirens’ Call” it is once again Hook who stitches the songs together.

“Sirens’ Call” builds solidly on 2001’s rather good comeback album “Get Ready,” as the band continues to play with dance-floor textures. It demonstrates a continued ear for a mean beat, and the addition of Phil Cunningham on guitar has seemingly given them an extra palette to pick from.

Yet the band’s claim that it rejects new material that sounds “too New Ordery” is eyebrow raising. Make no mistake, there is lots of good on this album, but it’d be a short party game trying to guess who recorded it. – Adam Corrigan

“Now is the Time” (Sony Urban Music/Columbia) – Anointed

Hearing performers at the peak of their skills is a wonderful thing. And that’s what is happening on Anointed’s fifth album, “Now is the Time.”

The dynamic duo of siblings Steve Crawford and Da’dra Crawford Greathouse is back making a joyful noise unto the Lord. The two, from a gospel-singing family, have sung together forever. But on this, their second album as a twosome, they’re truly settling into a comfort zone, after an adjustment period since two original members left for other projects following 1999’s self-titled album. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and that shows here.

The pair wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album, and co-produced four. And yet, the standout cut is their remake of Andre Crouch’s “Jesus is Lord,” which features the gospel legend himself.

There’s much to like about “Now is the Time,” including the anthemic “Gonna Lift Your Name” (both regular and remix versions), “Mighty Long Way” and “Gotta Move.”

The siblings long ago learned that it is easier to get your message across when you’ve got the listener’s attention, and on their latest, they certainly proselytize with fervor and a beat you can dance to. – Dale McGarrigle

“Before the Robots” (Song/Artemis) – Better Than Ezra

Better Than Ezra, one of the better alternative-rock acts born of the 1990s, gives another good effort on its latest release.

The outfit that brought us hits such as “Good” and “Misunderstood” has mellowed out a bit over the last decade, but offers up a nice variety of songs that may be attributed to experience. “Before the Robots” is an album that sounds like an album – progressing through ballads (“Daylight”), rockers (“American Dream”) and flights of falsetto fancy (“Juicy”).

Better Than Ezra takes the familiar rock formula and does good things with it. A song with a common title (“Hollow”) and a common theme (high schoolers facing cold reality) contains creative lyric imagery – “Sunlight on a razor blade” – and stomping acoustic guitar.

Kevin Griffin, who provides vocals, guitar, piano and lyrics for the trio, gives the music a flexible approach that keeps it from sounding rote. Griffin is capably backed by Tom Drummond on bass and Travis Aaron McNabb on drums.

If rock radio still exists, it should latch on to at least one of the likeable tunes on this CD, “A Lifetime” and “Our Finest Year” among them. – Judy Long