I tried to imagine, as I listened to “Riley”, the advance single from Corin Tucker’s upcoming solo album, that it was a new Sleater-Kinney track.
I couldn’t do it.
Despite Tucker’s trademark voice which was THE identifier of her former band, I could not lull myself into a SK mood. And I’m GLAD!
A couple of things stand out on this very good single: Tucker’s voice has matured, especially in the lower range. Even when she cranks up to her rock’n’roll wail, the banshee quotient is noticeably moderated. And it doesn’t hurt the song at all.
The second thing I love about this song is that there’s a bass and keyboards in the production. Coming from the SK model of two guitars and drum, what a revelation it is to hear Tucker backed by a proper band! I honestly think the additional instruments add another dimension to her voice. It sounds fuller, somehow. Tucker sounds very much at ease with her bandmates, at least on this single. To me, she didn’t always sound that way with Sleater.
Some things haven’t changed, however: As with SK, Tucker still refuses to refer to “love” in any of her songs (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) and she still doesn’t use “filler phrases” like “Oh Yeah!” and “C’mon Baby” etc. That’s the mark of honest song writing, I think, even if it’s not necessarily great song writing.
Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss has landed with a new band; haven’t heard anything from bandmate Carrie Brownstein, but for Corin Tucker to step away from the long shadow of her old band had to be the toughest job of all. “Riley” is one BIG step.