The Woods (album)
The Woods is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Sleater-Kinney. It was released in 2005 on Sub Pop, their major label debut. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann and recorded from November 2004 to December 2004 at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York. The album received widespread critical acclaim.
The Woods | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 24, 2005 | |||
Recorded | November–December 2004 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock[1] | |||
Length | 48:03 | |||
Label | Sub Pop | |||
Producer | Dave Fridmann | |||
Sleater-Kinney chronology | ||||
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Recording and production
The Woods was produced by Dave Fridmann and recorded from November 2004 to December 2004 at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York. Much of the album was recorded live in the studio, as Fridmann consciously attempted to approximate the band's live sound on the record. The vocals and some of the guitar tracks were the only overdubs. The final two tracks, "Let's Call It Love" and "Night Light", were separate tracks on record but were actually recorded together in a single 15-minute take, after Carrie Brownstein realized that the two tracks were in the same key and could segue into one another.[2]
Release
The Woods was released on May 24, 2005, by Sub Pop, making it the band's first release on that label.[3] Two songs from the album, "Entertain" and "Jumpers", were released as singles on May 10, 2005, and September 12, 2005, respectively.[4][5] The album reached number 80 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and number 2 on the Independent Albums chart.[6] As of October 2005, The Woods had sold 59,000 copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan.[7] As of February 2015, The Woods had sold 94,000 copies.[8]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 88/100[9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Blender | |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[12] |
The Guardian | |
Mojo | |
NME | 8/10[15] |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10 (2005)[16] 9.4/10 (2014)[17] |
Rolling Stone | |
Uncut | |
The Village Voice | A[20] |
The Woods received widespread critical acclaim. Kyle Ryan, writing for The A.V. Club, described the album as "a quasi-psychedelic, classic-rock-sounding epic",[21] while Keith Harris of The Village Voice praised Corin Tucker's vocals.[22] The album appeared at number four in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 2005.[23] Pitchfork placed it at number 127 on its list of "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s".[24] Similarly, Rolling Stone ranked The Woods at number 72 on its list of "100 Best Albums of the 2000s",[25] and Tiny Mix Tapes placed it at number 89 on its list of "Favorite 100 Albums of the 2000s".[26]
Track listing
All songs written by Sleater-Kinney.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Fox" | 3:25 |
2. | "Wilderness" | 3:40 |
3. | "What's Mine Is Yours" | 4:58 |
4. | "Jumpers" | 4:24 |
5. | "Modern Girl" | 3:01 |
6. | "Entertain" | 4:55 |
7. | "Rollercoaster" | 4:55 |
8. | "Steep Air" | 4:04 |
9. | "Let's Call It Love" | 11:01 |
10. | "Night Light" | 3:40 |
Personnel
- Carrie Brownstein – guitar, vocals
- Corin Tucker – vocals, guitar
- Janet Weiss – drums, backing vocals
- Technical
- Dave Fridmann – production, recording, mixing
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Jeff Kleinsmith – sleeve design
- Michael Brophy – album cover painting
- John Clark – sleeve photography
References
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-woods-mw0000655167
- Vedder, Eddie (April–May 2005). "Divine Trinity". Magnet. Archived from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
- "Sleater-Kinney – The Woods". subpop.com. Sub Pop. Archived from the original on 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
- "Sleater-Kinney – Entertain". subpop.com. Sub Pop. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
- "Sleater-Kinney – Jumpers". subpop.com. Sub Pop. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
- "Sleater-Kinney – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- "Sleater-Kinney Postpones European Tour". Billboard. 2005-10-25. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
- "Unfinished Business". npr.og. NPR. 2015-02-03. Archived from the original on 2015-07-27. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
- "Reviews for The Woods by Sleater-Kinney". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- Phares, Heather. "The Woods – Sleater-Kinney". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- Phillips, Amy (June 2005). "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Blender (37): 114. Archived from the original on 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- Browne, David (2005-05-23). "The Woods". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- Clarke, Betty (2005-05-20). "Sleater-Kinney, The Woods". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Mojo (139): 108. June 2005.
- "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". NME: 66. 2005-05-21.
- Deusner, Stephen M. (2005-05-24). "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- Pelly, Jenn (2014-10-24). "Sleater-Kinney: Start Together". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
- Ringen, Jonathan (2005-05-19). "The Woods". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2005-10-28.
- "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Uncut (97): 107. June 2005.
- Christgau, Robert (2005-06-27). "Consumer Guide: Sustenance Enough?". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- Ryan, Kyle (2005-05-24). "The Woods". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- Harris, Keith (2005-05-10). "Unsprung". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- "The 2005 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 2006-02-07. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork. 2009-09-29. Archived from the original on 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- "100 Best Albums of the 2000s; 72, Sleater-Kinney, The Woods". Rolling Stone. 2011-07-19. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- Vanderslice, Heidi (February 2010). "Favorite 100 Albums of 2000–2009: 100–81". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2013-10-14.