Dig Me Out

Lots of feelings and vulnerabilities exposed with this one. I first heard Sleater-Kinney when they opened for Pearl Jam in 2003. I was…not a fan. My ears felt assaulted. In the almost 20 years since I first heard them, I have tried several times to like them. I SHOULD like them because they have all the pieces of a band I should love. Women who rock and pull no punches. A sound that is unique and a message I can get behind. I can’t quite figure out what I turns me off so much and I have spent way too much time pondering this question. I thought at first that it was the way her voice sounds like reverb to me, but I think that could be really interesting used in the right way. I actually really dig the music so that isn’t it either. I think what it boils down to is that it feels like she is just shouting at me. Now stick with me here because this is the soul bearing part. It turns out that I have a huge double standard. I can listen to a man scream into a microphone and find it earnest and impassioned. I listen to a woman scream into the microphone and I find that I want her to tone it down, pretty it up, not be so emotional. Oh fuck, how did I get to be so sexist?! And now you know my deepest shame. It turns out that I want to smash the patriarchy but in a nice (and more melodic) way, which is really not smashing it at all but just succumbing to my programming. I’m giving this album 5 stars and I will keep listening to it because this album, more than any other, has made me think about myself and how I view the world and who taught me to view it the way that I do. It turns out I disliked Sleater-Kinney because it feels like an exposed nerve, which I think is kind of the point. And one that I want to keep exposing.

3.4 - The songs rock but I find the vocals shriek-y, like I'm being yelled at by my girlfriend for 35 minutes straight.

This entire album just worked for me, the dissonance, distortion, the low production value, everything about it just clicked

This is one of the best albums that I didn't know and I'm listening now with this site. This is just a great and classical rock album with all the strength and soul that was expected from a real rock album. For sure, it is a five-star album

S-K makes the good music. The guitar tone is consistently excellent across the album, very raw to go with the vocals. My ear for drums must still be amateur, as this is where most notice a change for the better with the introduction of Janet. But I haven't listened to any of their live material post-departure, and it's about time to return to their latest.

This was like listening to my angsty 14 year old sisters band in 1993.

This is the kind of album that makes me regret not listening to it sooner, because I could have been enjoying this one for years already. Perfect blend of punk, indie & menacing, angular post-punk vibes. Great strong vocals. Whole album is lean as hell with no spare flabby moments. 5* quality.

Verlaine's guitar, Patti's yodel, Joey/Dee Dee/Tommy/Johnny's/'s pithiness, Thurston/Ranaldo/Gordon's turbulence. It's amazing when a band can wear their influences so proudly, yet still sound utterly unique. Every song is an anthem to be played while the world collapses, and during its reconstruction.

This one his hard. I mean, it's punk, right? You don't expect pretty vocals from a punk album. And, as a fan of punk, I'm not much bothered by harsh, off-tone, or grating vocals. Nor do I have issues with female vox that are brash and rough. I kinda dig the riot grrl thing, to be honest. That said, I do think that the main vocalist is the primary issue here. The problems are two-fold. First, the vocals are super inconsistent. One track will be great, the next will be indiscipherably mumble-shouted. The next will start great and then turn into atonal nonsense. The second issue is Corin Tucker's leaning into her vibrato too heavily. Her vocals on this album are a one-trick-pony that's asked to perform so often that the trick loses its novelty. Overall, though, this is a solid punk album and I'm here for the riot grrl schtick. It works for me.

This is what this project is all about. Dig Me Out is the best surprise I’ve gotten so far. Corin Tucker’s vocals are incredible. So raw, her natural vibrato conveys some urgency it’s almost panic. Add in blaring, frantic guitars and you have a borderline masterpiece. This album is unrelenting from start to finish. Dig Me Out, One More Hour, Turn It Out are a stellar opening, Jenny is an incredible closer. Just to take a few 9.1/10 6.2/10

I’m about to go on a tear, because this record’s got me fired up. So buckle up and get your helmet on, it’s going to get real. In my reviews, I’ve often made reference to the idea that “indie rock” doesn’t mean anything anymore, that it’s just a style that’s being chased, a formula, a bland melange of nothingness…an image to be sold for your springtime trip to Coachella. So when I listen to “Dig Me Out” once again…a record I’ve known for years, a record that has character, that has something to say, that stands for something, a record with a sense of purpose and palpable aggression…well, fuck me, but I can’t help but feel that I’m right about the sorry state of modern “indie”. Everything that makes Sleater-Kinney great is absent from a large swath of modern indie music. There’s no comparison, no analog for Sleater-Kinney, because they weren’t interested in fitting into a scene, they were making it their own. “Dig Me Out” is a five star record for all of the reasons I outlined above, but also because the guitar playing is excellent, the drumming is great and the songs, one after another, are fantastic. It’s got attitude and individuality and if you don’t like what Sleater-Kinney has to say, I’m pretty sure they’d have no problem telling you to go fuck yourself. In closing, Sleater-Kinney is cooler than you could ever hope to be.

A Sleater-Kinney song could possibly work for me in a soundtrack but I’ve never been able to get involved in their stuff

Record labels did a horrible job exposing gems like this to me when I was 27 years old. That's the only explanation for why I never heard this until now. What an absolute fucking joy. After 309 albums, I live for moments like this: Finding something new (to me) and immediately falling so hard it that a band becomes a new obsession. This warranted a repeat listen right away, since I didn't want it to end (but props to Spotify for following it up with a banger by The New Pornographers). We could all use a little more Sleater-Kinney in our lives.

My musical education started in the nineties, and of course I've been aware of who Sleater-Kinney are since that time, and their importance for the riot grrrrl movement taken in its larger understanding. An old friend of mine is a huge fan of this album, for instance, and I've always loved the reference to the Kinks on its cover and artwork. But oddly enough, before *Dig Me Out* popped on this app, I had never given it the attention it fully deserved. And boy oh boy (or should I say, *girl oh girl*), how excited I am to finally discover it properly. The energy on this LP is just fantastic, earworms abound (whether they come from the melodic guitars or the impassioned vocals), and the tracklisting has the sorts of dynamics I usually love in rock albums. A quick listen might give you the wrong impression that the songs are quite the same, but their respective moods are actually pretty different from each other, Sleater-Kinney always picking up the ball to send it in an unexpected melodic direction from song to song. To be a little more specific... The title track opening the album is as tense as it should be, thanks to its minor chords, "One More Hour"'s vocals are as catchy as its quavers on guitar are enticing, "Heart Factory" is the band's version of a blues cut using nineties quiet-loud-quiet shenanigans to great effects (nice percussion sounds in the background, by the way), "It's Enough" is short and sharp, "Things You Say" has an elated chorus, while groovy and organ-laden "Dance Song '97" foretells what Le Tigre would do a few years later--here referring to another important riot grrrl figure, Kathleen Hannah (more about that later on). As for the last track "Jenny", it aptly closes the proceedings on a moody note that leaves you wanting for more. And these here are just highlights among many others. I don't think there's a single dud in this fantastic record. I rarely give 5 stars for albums I didn't already know by heart on this app. And here I am giving such mark now. So I'm buying this LP right away. And speaking about riot grrrrls, it also gives me the occasion to buy another record by Bikini Kill on the side. Bikini Kill is the first band of Kathleen Hannah, another pivotal figure of that "girl indie punk-rock" movement who would later found Le Tigre, as I said earlier. I've had my eye on that Bikini Kill release for quite some time now, and I can't resist taking it as a companion piece for *Dig Me Out* (at least if I can find a version of it that's cheap enough). So thanks, Dimery and co. Number of albums left to review: 571 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 207 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 100 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 126

Man, talk about a band that helped define the music of the 90s. This album contains some of the best guitar work of the decade with vocals that just rip your face off. It’s not my favorite of Sleater Kinney’s, but that’s just a compliment to their discography.

I'm profoundly late to the Sleater-Kinney party. And hallelujah, it's a 90s rock album that's not over an hour long, clocking in at a lean 37 minutes. And those 37 kick ass. People complaining about Corin Tucker's voice can't hang. Highlights: Dig Me Out, One More Hour, Words and Guitar, Little Babies

Stop warbling for christ sake

Nr. 39/1001 Dig Me Out 3/5 One More Hour 2/5 Turn it On 2/5 The Drama You've Been Craving 2/5 Heart Factor 1/5 Words and Guitar 1/5 It's Enough 1/5 Little Babies 2/5 Not What You Want 2/5 Buy Her Candy 3/5 Things You Say 4/5 Dance Song '97 2/5 Jenny 3/5 Average: 2,15 Had a hard time with the vocals

Shit

I love the Riot Grrrl sound so much. Not only is this important music, it is also impressively powerful, raging, and Righteous.

Like a cherry bomb of emo punk energy

One of the greatest albums of the 90s. Guitar interplay is amazing. Corin Tucker's vocals are incredible. 9-10/10

1997, great year for music. I listen to this all the time, but probably only discovered it about 10 years ago. One More Hour, right in the feels. Oh you've got the darkest eyes.

Holy shit I forgot how much this album rocks. THANK YOU.

Fabulous. Phenomenal.

This has such an attitude that no matter what you do with the album itself it stays with you. You wanna raise a feminist fist and say “fuck the patriarchy”. Every tune is punk in all the right places while possessing some straight banging riffs and biting lyrics.

Punk classic. No skips.

This might actually be a 4 Star, but it hit me on the right day and in the right mood. I want to be in a Riot Grrl band when I grow up.

Super fun riot grrrl stuff. Gets a little samey, but not in a bad way. It wants you align with its vibe, and if you won't do that then fuck you. I like that energy.

Sleater-Kinney find their stride on this album full of angst and polish. Girl rock deserves some special attention as this exemplifies what the genre can offer.

Daaamn, sounds fucking good. gay gay homosexual gay

cool fem rock

Heartfelt and nicely recorded post-punk! Listening to this I was thinking about how refreshing it is to hear women doing heavy music without relying on tropes but rather investigating and expressing their own point of view, unapologetically, without compromise. And Punk is the format for that - the idea of people outside the mainstream doing what they want, don't really care what you think. Reminded me a little of Throwing Muses, but with even more edge. Glad to hear this, I've heard of the band but never had a chance to listen. I would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could.

So So Album with a lacking lead singer imo

Why must she sing ?

reminds me of that art project where they have women try to read books whilst sat atop a sybian this has so much vibrato / voice trembling that it sounds as if they are also doing that

kek

такое, конечно, под настроение заходит - и вот сегодня как раз было настроение=)

Classic. Never gets old. 9.5/10

Very familiar with this one...always a good listen

Sounded like pumk to me. I liked it the energy and rawness of the guitar and vocals. Will listen again!

Brilliant!

really cool i loved

Classic

This is a mega fave!

The third SK's studio album of 1997. Nice punk rock from 90s. I like the energy raw sound and nice vocals of this album. The cover is an homage to The Kinks' 1965 album The Kink Kontroversy.

This album just straight up rules

I really love this album. Riot Grrrl greatness! Corin Tuckers voice—powerful, and that tremolo or whatever it is… ❤️

Great album, really liked it. V 90s, intense, quite grungy. Excellent.

Love Sleater-Kinney! This is probably in my top three of theirs (behind One Beat and The Woods in that order). But honestly all their records are great. Corin has such a great voice! She and Carrie's guitar interplay is always so exciting and full of energy. Janet is a badass. A shame she's no longer with them. All together, great band.

Hole that sounds good. Really nice riffs. Somehow sounds like '70s rock. Banger vocals Really don't like "Turn it On" All and all 8/10 would listen again

I have a gigantic enormous middle-school-style crush on Carrie Brownstein. The rest of the band is also awesome. This band is awesome and cool.

My general musical opinion of the 90’s is that 90-96 is pretty golden then 97 onwards is a mixed bag. Sleater-Kinney seems to be the one of the better bands of the late 90’s this music sounds so fresh, emotive and primal while sounding like the classic punk bands of the late 70’s. For a more 90’s example Sleater-Kinney sounds like a more primal and less wire-y American elastica. The rawness of the album gives off the illusion that you’re in a sweaty rehearsal room standing right before them playing their instruments it’s surprisingly amazing. Something about this band strikes an exact inner rage, I don’t exactly know how though but it’s a great power the band has on me, and this is my first listen. It’s a 5/5 for me but I could easily see the next person giving this a 1 for the exact reasons why I like them it’s all pure matter of taste.

Excellent album that I hadn’t listened to in a while.

Aikansa soundi kuuluu, mutta jotenkin tää oli musta aika ajaton.

Can't believe it took me this long to finally listen to Sleater-Kinney!!

hmmm

this is such a fun listen. excellent album

really into this

I have never heard of this band before, but not only was that a mistake, it was a generational failure on my part! Maybe this album sounds so great, because I have listened to it for the first time, so I was was fresh and I didn't know what to expect. But then, I have listened to "Dig Me Out" for the second and third time, and I have to say - it's even better than I thought. One of the songs, "Jenny", instantly went of my 'favourites' list. The punk rock music Sleater-Kinney present here is not exceptional in any sort of a way, it's just solid, very interesting clean melodies, a "dirty" guitar sound and a very solid drums. But what puts the songs together is the vocal - it's simply amazing. You can feel the anger, some sadness, but also real feeling of freedom. It reminds me of Alanis Morissette song "You Oughta Know" - very similar style, full of energy, anger and disappointment. Honestly, even though it doesn't sound great, with a powerful style like that, you can sing about flowers - I would hate them with a passion. Great album!

I loved this so much, such great girl rock

9/10 super fun punk! some of the harmonizations are a bit janky, but it’s still a great album

One of my favorites. So raw, so catchy. It grabbed me immediately back in the 90s and I revisit it regularly.

A great album to listen to and feel angry about stuff. I loved it

This is a seminal riot grrrl album and one of the best. Almost every song on here is energetic and ferocious, and the ones that aren’t are great as well. Just an all-around classic for a fan of punk and arguably the best of its subgenre.

🤘 I probably prefer Call the Doctor slightly, but this is still one of the best albums of the 90s. Easy 5.

i really like this album. i would say this album is pretty abrasive, but i think it's also pretty fun to listen to. the problem i have with a lot of other abrasive albums is that i don't find them fun to listen to, but i appreciate sleater-kinney's approach to songwriting and the apparent meaning behind their songs. i love that their music does not cater to the typical notion that music made by women needs to be soft, elegant, pretty. their music can be harsh, noisy, aggressive, and that doesn't make it any less womanly. good stuff.

Having never heard of this band or album, wow what a fantastic banger! Full of punky brash guitars and urgent drums with impassioned vocals. LIKE!

Definitely my favorite or at least top 3 SK albums, and an absolute favorite overall. Love Little Babies, One More Hour, Words and Guitar, Buy Her Candy, etc

Great 90s garage punk from a female perspective.

Long live riot grls and women in rock

Awesome Indie punk!

I’m a fan of Sleater-Kinny and this is probably their best album. The interplay between Tucker and Brownstein and the guitar work is just about perfect. Glad to listen to this one again!

I love this band and this is a great album. It was a fun re-listen.

7 stars. Glorious punk from a glorious band.

"Dig Me Out" is the third studio album by American rock band Sleater-Kinney. It is considered their breakthrough as they changed labels to Kill Rock Stars to get a wider audience. It was also the debut of drummer Janet Weiss which solidied their sound. And their music? Some say punk. Yeah, that fits but ultimately it's just rock and roll. The music and album cover were influenced by and paid homage to the Kinks' "The Kink Kontroversy." Besides Weiss, Sleater-Kinney is Carrie Brownstein (guitar, vocals) and Corin Tucker (vocals, guitar). According to Carrie Brownstein, all the songs are about her relationship with Corin Tucker and Tucker's relationship with her future husband, Lance Bangs. The album had wide-spread critical acclaim. A guitar riff and in comes the pounding drums as "Dig Me Out" starts. Corin screaming, howling. This is very much in your face. Corin's trying to get out of a relationship (with Carrie?). "DIg me out, Dig me in, the mess we're in." Well, there's no doubt what the next song is about. "One More Hour" is about the Carrie-Corin break-up. Dual layered guitars, both with melodies to die for. Corin's emotional lead vocals. Carrie's criss-cross backing vocals. "Oh, you've got the darkest eyes." The speed up. The slow down. This is one of the best songs of the 90's and one of those you want to play again after it's over. "Turn It On" has more in-your-face lyrics. Handclapping. A nice rock-pop melody. "Words and Guitars" has a catchy chorus and more criss-cross vocals from Carrie and howling from Corin. She's contrasting what music is expected of girls to play and what they play. I wouldn't want to get into an argument with her on this. They continue the counterpoint and protest to traditional feminist roles in "Little Babies." Bringing the catchy chorus "dum dum dee dee dum dum dee dum yeah." A a great Carrie guitar solo. "Buy Her Candy" has just a guitar and Carrie's voice and is one of the strong songs on the album as she likes a girl even though she's fickle and selfish. "Dance Song '97" brings a dance beat. Yeah. Melodic layered guitars and what appears to be a simple song about being in love. This is a great album and one of my favorite of the 90's. Catchy vocals and melodic hooks. Corin's voice is a thing of power and emotion. Urgent sounding guitars. Pounding drums. An outpouring of personal lyrics in the songs. No Sleater-Kinney album is a bad listen and this one is up there with "The Hot Rock" and "One Beat" as their best.

An electric album! Full of riffs!

Hell yeah, I love this record! We play this at our house pretty regularly, so already a 5/5 without having to listen, but I did anyways!

100000000000000000000000000000000000/5

Saw johnny at the store I said Get your car let's hit the road Oh tell me baby what's wrong? He said Tell me baby what's wrong? do do do do.... She's on fire now You think you wanna watch I think you'd better not Do you wanna get the wheel Swerve my heart It pounds with steel Oh tell me baby what's wrong? He said Tell me baby what's wrong? It's not what you want it's everything Got my foot on the floor We'll go 80 95 maybe more Tell me baby what's wrong? He said Tell me baby what's wrong? It's not what you want it's everything This is a great album. I never listened to an S-K album all the way through before this - Its exactly what it needs to be, and its solid all the way through. 5/5

I bloody love Sleater-Kinney. Love this album. I prefer their later album the Woods but this is a complete banger as well, happy it's on here. Such a great band, I love the whole history of the music in that period and the connections between them and Bikini Kill and the Riot Grrrl music and more current with St Vincent etc. I'm a big fan of Carrie Brownstein, I read her book recently and it was great. Like a few music docs and books I've read it ends quite sad all like 'and the band is over and I'm sad' but now 10 years later Sleater-Kinney they've had like 3 new albums which are great haha.

The audio equivalent of being slapped in the face over and over again for 30 minutes.

Oh yes. Dissident vibes from home. Gotta love it.

YES!!!! This is the album I should have been given yesterday on my triumphant last day at a thankless job working for a dickhead boss that I hate. And I am finally free!!! And this is the perfect soundtrack to coincide with my liberation from all the bullshit. This album is rad. It’s badass. It’s balls to the wall shrieking vocals and guitars that pierce your eardrums and skewer your soul. It’s so fucking good. It’s way more divergent, daring, and unique than its peers. A subversive wailing voice that gives me life. I love it.

I really like the voices Fav songs: turn it on Things you say ;-)

Everything about this album is just perfect: the shouty vocals of the two singers, the guitar playing and most of all the very strong songwriting. To me it seems that they took just an arbitrary SK album from their 95-05 and included it in the 1001 list: the other albums from that period are equally good (all clear 5 star) - I am not sure if I know any other rock band from that period that had such a high quality control on their output.

Rating: 9.5/10 Amazing album overall, what a great mix of punk and indie rock. The guitar riffs are the standout element of this album, so incredibly melodic yet driving. The singer and drummer bring so much energy which helps drive the music and complement the fantastic melodies perfectly. Overall this album is very catchy and fun to listen to. Favorite songs: pretty much all of them. Least favorite song: Heart Factory.

Brilliant

I wasn't previously too familiar with Sleater-Kinney. I loved this - right from the opening licks the intensity just never lets up in true punk / grunge style. I wouldn't normally pay much attention to drumming, but on account of this being their first album with a notable new drummer I did, and I found it really 'drives' the music. The vocals are fantastic as well, I don't agree with the comments criticising - it's punk rock and it should sound passionate and loud! It's also nice when you discover a band on this list that is still active so I'm gonna listen to their new record 'Little Rope' right now too

It was the start of something special, a perfect alchemy. Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss came together for under forty minutes of pure rock perfection, the kind where words and guitar (and boisterous drums) form the tsunami that could and would obliterate what came before and what would define what came after. Seven albums and over twenty years later, it would hard to consider Dig Me Out as anything but a bedrock. It has proven itself as the foundation to which the bands it has influenced since its release have based themselves on as well as the very image of Sleater-Kinney; the next step in feminist rock idealism that is as accessible as it is still piercing.

Some excellent bits

This album got a lot of play on my college radio show, Fallopian Tunes. My inner riot grrrl never tires of this classic.

Got this the day after Throwing Muses debut and could really hear their influence on S-K. Love the back and forth vocals and guitar parts and the Kinks tribute cover . Janet Weiss remains my favorite rock drummer.

An all time favourite of mine.

Hadn't heard of Sleater-Kinney before... really enjoyed this one! Here's to the riot grrrls!

Sweater-Kinney is a band that I have long felt negligent for not knowing more about. After all, I am routinely near that exit in Olympia Washington. A cool local girl group should be a no brainer but for whatever reason I’ve never heard more than a snippet of this group. I was a little surprised when I played this about how much of a Go-Go’s vibe I felt from the vocals! I really enjoyed this. I’m glad to have the Go-Go’s and Sleater-Kinney on this list!

It's about time! This was really fun. I'm glad that the kids I know get to grow up in a world where this album exists.

The first few bars felt a bit jagged for me and I was concerned...but no need, this was really quite an excellent album of its genre. Mind you, this is not a style that is my top rotation, but I dabble a bit from time to time.

ok yea this fucks

These rockers are full of vigor, and I cannot relate, for I am merely a sentient blob wasting away into nothingness over time. Seriously, though, this was riot grrrl all the way. Having always had a tough time getting into punk (not into such brash vocals for any gender at all), I actually enjoyed this? Sometimes I liked being able to focus on the instrumentals a bit more, but I think that's just my musician bias showing. A 3.5 that's getting pushed into 4 territory.