Skip to content →

Sonic Analysis

Carrie Brownstien and her Pedal Board

Another one of Sleater-Kinney’s most memorable characteristics is their sonic aesthetic. The band consists of two vocalists and two guitarists, , and a drummer. This creates a sonic landscape that is simultaneously a bit hollow sounding due to the lack of low end, yet very dense melodically, given they can have four voicings at once. A great example of this sonic capability comes in the second song from the band’s performance, “Be Yr Mama.” During the chorus, there is a call and response happening between Tucker’s vocals and Brownstein’s guitar. This is indicative as well of the multivocality represented in Third Wave Feminism. Both the vocals and guitar during this bit slide partially, a common practice in punk music (Bannister). The two instruments alternate, with Tucker singing “I fixed it for you” followed by Brownstein’s sweeping solo that reaches a high F#.  The lyrics and solo go unresolved, the first never answering the question it poses, the latter not having a sonic cadence to resolution. Both feel like the middle of a phrase, a scream that no one hears the end or beginning of. Perhaps this is an argument, maybe a call to arms, but certainly something tumultuous is happening in these choruses, and it shows no signs of stopping.

Vocal delivery is another element that strongly affects both interpretation of the song and the sonic structure of the song. During the bridge, where Tucker sharply delivers the lyrics “I know what is going on here/ I always make you so stronger” in a staccato fashion. This serves as a great juxtaposition to the delivery of the choruses, which are much more legato and have a wider range. Beyond this simple juxtaposition, is a rejection of traditional punk vocalization themselves. According to Ambrosch, “Punk vocalization, which prioritizes emotiveness over articulacy, is a special case as it tends to distort the lyrics, thus impeding lyrical understanding” (26). Ambrosch explains punk’s grimy vocals as a contrast to typical pop music, which the chorus of “Be Yr Mama” is a great example. Tucker’s vocals are not in the front of the mix, and her vibrato and slides make the lyrics difficult to understand upon one’s first listen. This is why the vocal lyrics are especially interesting. Each syllable is well enunciated and shot forward by a short power chord from the guitar, with only the hi-hat and some guitar reverb to fill in the space between the syllables. Each beat being emphasized along with the sparse instrumentation gives more power to Tucker’s already sharp lyrics. This culminates to be a subversion of a subversion: going against the male dominated aesthetic of punk in order to get their point across in a powerful and urgent way.

One of punk and hardcore music’s most interesting choices is the use of technology to distort sounds. Effects pedals are commonly used punk music, typically pedals to distort the frequencies to give a “fuzz” or “grunge” are used, as well as reverbs, delays, EQ’s, etc. Effects pedals take what should be a near organic sound and distorts them using technological methods. Doing so thus deconstructs the human element, as “This blurring of the boundaries between humans and machines constructs a technologies through which we shuttle back and forth constantly” (Garrison). Since women are “constructed as the other” (Whitley 95), distorting their sounds with technologies disrupts the dual nature of man and women by having the intermediary of technology. Effects pedals give Sleater-Kinney to craft a sound that takes their limited instrumentation and give it a greater sonic density, while also managing to give themselves agency in a male dominated scene.

The choice of pedal sound is also deeply important to the band’s message, as it can support or undercut the meaning of the lyrics and create a mood that goes beyond harmonic structure. Take “Words and Guitar,” the final song from their performance. As discussed already, the song is about reclaiming words and sound, and has an overall triumphant tone to it. As such, the guitars have a very fat and full sounding distortion, with an edge to the sound that gives it power with out it being abrasive. Tucker’s vocalization thusly is strong and powerful to match the instrumentation of the song. Contrast this with the opening track from the performance, “Start Together.” The lyrical meaning this song is one of change, uncertainty, and a fleeting sense of hope. As such, the guitar tone still has an edge to it, but sounds much hollower than the other distortions. Instead of a powerful yell, this distortion sound is more akin to a cry. This hollowness of the guitar sound creates the perfect ambiance to go along with the tone of the song. Carrie Brownstein herself described the album as “a fracturing of their sound” (Brownstein 154), and the texture of their guitars represents that perfectly. The use of technology to enhance their meaning gives the band great control over the tone and messages of their songs.