Half brilliant, half pretty darn good
3 1/2

One of female rocks all-time most powerful trios, this under-appreciated group delivered a punk bomb of feminine snarl with DMO, often cited as their best. Although a good half of the album fails to match the unique visceral strength of their more melodically memorable cuts, it is simply from a lack of concise songwriting. And although it is a 50/50 ration of which tracks stick, the whole thing blazes through with tremendous energy few females have been able to articulate as such. The vocalist's constant high wailing may turn some off and feels slightly overused when listening the whole way through, but more often then not compliments the fury in personal and satisfying measures.

Girl Punks Rocking Their Hearts Out
Sleater-Kinney literally turned the rock world upside-down with their debut album, "Call the Doctor." They're probably the best female punk rockers I've ever heard. Their fourth album, "Dig Me Out," is easily their most epic and awesome album, with Carrie Brownstein's killer riffs and Corin Tucker's commanding voice.

The first song, "Dig Me Out," demonstrates Sleater-Kinney at their best. Carrie Brownstein has probably the coolest dissonant guitar riff to boot, while Tucker literally sets the stage afire with her loud soprano voice. She demands that men should "Dig Me Out, baby/out of this mess, baby, out of this mess."

I have no idea why radios haven't played this talented Oregon riot grrl band, which is probably the best of their kind ever. Their surf/punk song "Turn It On" is probably the coolest pop song, complete with handclaps and killer guitar work by Brownstein. And it doesn't hurt that Tucker is yelling for her love, blurting, "Why can't you tell me?/Is it worth a fight?" And in the chorus, she urges her man to "Turn it on" at least once. Now that's hot.

There's nothing more exciting than Tucker's voice, but there are plenty of other cool sound effects, such as xylophones, to complement her her soft lyrics and the blasting guitar to complement her angry demeanor. In "Words and Guitar," Tucker sings that she's got it all, the quiet sounds and the "way too loud" words and guitar.

Everything from Tucker's proud "dum dum deedeedee dum dum" about motherhood in "Little Babies" to the blistering drum rolls in "Not What You Want" demonstrates that Sleater-Kinney is at the top of their form in this album. Anyone who loves rocker girls should get this album to hear how female rock should be done.

(And certainly Avril Lavigne could take a few lessons from this band.)

An absolutely brilliant album -- very close to their best
Most of the time my favorite Sleater-Kinney album is CALL THE DOCTOR, but there are many days when I think it might be this one. I really love the rawness and primitiveness of CALL THE DOCTOR, but there are times I prefer to more intricate arrangements and more polished playing on this one. Luckily, nothing really hangs on my preferring one album to the other. I can love both and still be a good person.

I think the only reason I don't love this one as much as CALL THE DOCTOR is that this album doesn't have a single song that establishes itself as essential in the way that, say, "I Want to Be Your Joey Ramone" does. Mind you, these are all great songs. In fact, I don't think that there is a weak song on any of the six albums Sleater-Kinney released their eponymous debut. But this one doesn't have that one song that leaps out and emblazons itself on your memory. Nonetheless, many of the songs have on relistenings become among my favorite that the band had done. One earlier reviewer complained of the sameness of the songs. That would be a valid criticism if any of the songs was less than great, but it seems to me to be a weak criticism to say that all the songs are the same if all of them are great.

This is definitely my favorite album for focusing on Corin Tucker's singing. Though she is always spectacular, this album really showcases her voice like no other. And there are lots of times when I think Carrie Brownstein is one of the best back up singers ever. There are back ups with better pipes, but she has a genius for adding voices that not only supplement but enhance what Tucker is singing. The main reason that Sleater-Kinney is the greatest all-girl band ever is the fact that they have not one but two major talents. I am just in awe of these guys.

It is really hard to pick out stand out cuts on album like this one that is so spectacularly consistent. For instance, "Dig Me Out" is a killer song and while the two that follow are not quite as strong, they both contain middle sections where Tucker is able to take the songs to some very special places. I'm not sure how many people would agree with me, but "Heart Maker" is one of my five favorite Sleater-Kinney songs. The lyrics are a tad unusual for the girls, but I like the irony in producing a mechanical heart that will allow you to control your emotions and presumably the pain you experience in life. The underlying message is that pain is a part of being alive; deal with it. But most of all I love the power and drive in the choruses. This is some of the best hard rock you will ever hear. "Words and Guitar" is a great song and "Little Babies" another gem. But really, they're all good.

This is one of the six must-own albums the band has put out. For me these guys are an addiction. Just peeking at my iPod, among my Top 25 Most Played songs as of today are "I Want to Be Your Joey Ramone," "Good Things," "Heart Maker," "Taking Me Home," "Sympathy," and "Taste Test." That's 6 of the 25 most played on an iPod with 12,034 songs. That will show you how I really feel about Sleater-Kinney.

New Listener Blown Away
Wow.How have I not heard this album before? I've been aware of the band for a long time but only recently bought this disc when I couldn't find anything else appealing on the racks. I practically haven't stopped playing it since.
The impressive feat of Dig Me Out is how seamlessly it blends the immediacy and no-note-wasted efficiency of punk rock with genuine melody and classic rock bravado. I've never heard a voice like Corin Tucker's fiery vibrato - she can send shivers down your spine at will, but also shows remarkable restraint when the song calls for it. Carrie Brownstein's backing vocals, almost equally prominent in the mix, provide a perfect complement to Tucker's explosive performances. Occasionally, the two switch leads to great effect, as if just to demonstrate the incredible teamwork this band thrives on.
Which brings us to Janet Weiss. Having joined the group just before this album was recorded, she may have felt the need to prove her chops as a drummer; no worries were necessary. Weiss is an enthusiastic Keith Moon admirer and obviously has spent considerable effort in pursuit of Moon's inimitable drumming style. Suffice to say she hits her target and then some. Finally, the twin guitars of Tucker and Brownstein are truly a marvel of rock n'roll badass-ness -- I'd say the Strokes were definitely taking notes, and need to continue doing so.
I'll wrap it up now, because there are only so many superlatives in the English language. Buy this album now and prepare to be blown away.

The CD Cover
This is not a review of the CD, since I dont even have it, but while I was looking at the reviews I saw the CD cover, and is it me or are they doing a shout-out to The Kinks, because if you compare the covers its the same exact cover as The Kinks - The Kink Kontroversy. I was just wondering if anyone knows if this is deliberate or not. If so, have they ever done any Kink songs before? Well anyways I just thought that was cool.