All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

Sleater-Kinney... go for defiant uplift and seem energized by the challenge.

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100

Blender

S-K swagger like they never have before, eschewing the filler that made their last few records drag. [#9, p.157]

Pitchfork

An uncompromising, energetic monster of a record.

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Neumu.net

All of One Beat is strung loosely together by a common plea: for awareness, for understanding, and, most of all, for holding onto hope.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

For several albums now, Sleater-Kinney has shown eagerness to experiment, and it seems to be pounding at a wall, getting ever closer to the recording that will break it down. One Beat isn't quite it, but it makes a glorious noise in the process.

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Dusted Magazine

One Beat joins the likes of Fugazi's In On the Killtaker and Bikini Kill's Reject All American for its impassioned new-world resistance, and could very well be the greatest triumph of punk independence since Black Flag.

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Billboard

"One Beat" is so rich with strong new ideas that the dense disc actually takes some getting used to, a real accomplishment for a band some already view as an acquired taste.

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Splendid

The album retains the trademark layered sound of earlier work, the dueling guitars, the wailing vocals, the powerfully musical drumming, yet it plunges into much darker territory than before.

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Austin Chronicle

One Beat is the Portland, Ore., trio's best work to date, illustrating yet again that women can play and will be heard, with or without a political platform.

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Stylus Magazine

By taking the visceral punch of Dig Me Out and The Hot Rock, blending that with the pop sensibilities of All Hands on the Bad One, and throwing in a few bonuses, Sleater-Kinney have crafted their best album yet.

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Entertainment Weekly

There's lots for the lovers, plus some surprises that might win over a few haters. [23 Aug 2002, p.142]

Rolling Stone

Their riotous manifesto remains the same, but their musical dialect has expanded to include blues, soul and even traces of pristine Led Zeppelin-era metal.

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Q Magazine

Sometimes an attitude, a thumping beat and an A-plus scream like the one Carrie Brownstein provides here are really all that's needed. [Oct 2002, p.117]

Village Voice

One Beat is ruthless with SuperGlue riffs that reach back a decade or more, from the Go-Gos pogo of "Oh!" to the stuttering Cure guitars of "The Remainder" to the Buzzcocks toolings of "Hollywood Ending."

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Spin

One Beat's hooks require a few passes to take hold. [Sep 2002, p.127]

All Music Guide

The group sometimes sacrifices immediacy for angular melodies and riffs that don’t catch hold. On balance, though, One Beat’s musical progression is still extremely impressive.

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New Musical Express

Few bands could explore motherhood and terrorism without making you want to shoot them: Corin Tucker's electric-shock voice and the adrenal guitars make them as essential pop topics as schoolyard crushes and backstreet drugs.

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Mojo

One Beat is not an album you slip into. You pick it up, study it, twist it, put it down, pick it up again. [Sep 2002, p.108]

Uncut

Bright, socially and emotionally engaged, justifiably righteous in places, and not quite the right sort of fun for the New York scenesters. [Oct 2002, p.104]

Alternative Press

There's no absence of strong material here, although the sequencing feels awkward. [Oct 2002, p.94]

Magnet

The mixed results are troubling. [#55, p.86]

Drawer B

Sleater-Kinney’s weakest album in years.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tim E. gave it a9:
You can't beat "One Beat." The greatest and most meaningful songs of their career. You can even shake, mosh and groove to the funky beats of "one Beat."

Elizabeth gave it a 10:
Wonderful, thrilling...some of the most exciting music in years. Pick up the edition with the bonus disc if you can find it; the 2 tracks were disgracefully left off of the record.

Andrew I gave it a 10:
I think this is the most thrilling band in the world right now. This essential album might be their best, might not - does it really matter?

James A gave it a 10:
I haven't been this excited about music in a long time!

James B. gave it a 10:
WOW

Benjamin D gave it a 10:
The most complex and thrilling record S-K has ever produced. I have been floored by this cd ever since i bought it. Shake a tail for peace and love! "When violence rules the world outside; And the headlines make me want to cry; Its not the time to just keep quiet; Speak up one time TO THE BEAT"

CJ Carter gave it a 9:
A band showing real growth when rock n' roll needs it most. Reminds me in spirit of U2 at their most heartfelt and lethal. This record deserves to be heard.

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One Beat

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