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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All twelve songs are excellent, 11 Jan 2003
By A Customer
In principle I've got nothing against records that promote causes. It's just that too many "committed" artists are better at hectoring than at writing good tunes. Sleater-Kinney were once known as "riot grrrls" (whether fairly or not, I cannot say), so I approached "One Beat" somewhat warily.But blow me if my trepidation wasn't turned to vast enjoyment upon first listen: this is so good that it's a strong contender for my record of 2002. There isn't a duff track here. All 12 songs are played with great gusto; there's stylistic variation between indie, new wave, pop, rock, punk, soul and all points in between; excellent interlocking guitar parts; pounding drumming; vocal harmonies (on the Motown-inflected "Step Aside") and unusual lyrical matter (including the true story of a coyote that hopped on board a passenger train in Portland, Oregon). The three band members are technically more than competent, but this is no cold exercise in manual dexterity: they're clearly enjoying what they're doing, and putting all their enthusiasm into it. They obviously possess strong views, but there's nothing unpleasant or oppressive in the lyrics department. This is a band right on top of its game. Comparisons? It didn't really remind me of anyone, but I reckon it could appeal to fans of Sonic Youth, The Breeders, The Pixies, Pavement, Sebadoh and similar bands.
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