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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
The Woods

Universal acclaim
Based on 35 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 157 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: 24 May 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The ubiquitous Dave Fridmann produced this latest outing for the veteran indie rockers, their first album for Sub Pop.
Also By This Artist: All Hands On The Bad One One Beat
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site Sub Pop
What The Critics Said
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...
Alternative Press
[They] clearly sound alive with the possibility of redefining punk song structure by writing 11-minute flamboyant guitar dirges that have as much in common with My Bloody Valentine as they do with '70s arena rock. [May 2005, p.170]
Mojo
[They] have made an evolutionary leap in rock. [Jun 2005, p.108]
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
Although the album is definitely loud, it's also raw, with no hint of the symphonic, yet at the same time it's a melodic highlight of an honorably tuneful catalog.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
The album is ambitious as it is daring, and it's the most refreshing piece of new music released thus far into 2005.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
The Woods is an incredibly intense rock record even by S-K’s lofty standards; it's a call to arms that will hopefully force complacent indie kids to demand more from their rock music.
Read Full Review >ShakingThrough.net
The fact that a band spawned over ten years ago is so willing to try new things is refreshing, but with The Woods, Sleater-Kinney has surpassed even its most ardent supporter’s expectations as to the artistic heights the trio can attain.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
While it's surprising to hear Sleater-Kinney act so traditional, it's more shocking how well such conventions suit them. [27 May 2005, p.135]
Village Voice
Previous albums have never quite captured those onstage moments when the power they generate seems to catch them unawares, but on The Woods you can hear not only the deliberation in Weiss's eyes as she ponders the exact placement of beat and crash, or Brownstein's bedroom-mirror rock-star poses, but also the stunned grin Tucker can never contain after emitting her most gravity-defiant shrieks.
Read Full Review >Junkmedia
Although an extreme statement, it is a major stylistic step forward for the band and pays off great dividends to those so inclined to follow them into The Woods.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
This may be the band's most self-assured sounding work yet -- their music has never lacked confidence and daring, but now they sound downright swaggering.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Although hard to digest at first, The Woods ingratiates itself on subsequent listens, making the band's other albums seem half-baked by comparison.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Despite the new song structures, guitar solos, and drum fills, Brownstein's guitar still roars wildly, Weiss's drums still thunder, and Tucker still wails with a primal urgency that is one of the most compelling sounds in rock music today.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
A musical tour-de-force, and probably Sleater-Kinney’s best album to date.... If it lacks the immediate appeal and accessibility of One Beat or All Hands on the Bad One, it feels more mature and meaningful than either.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
A record that sounds as if it would be very much at home on any AOR radio station in the 1970s.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
Not only does The Woods jumpstart a moribund genre, it also serves as a wake-up call for the zeitgeist.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
The vicious licks laid down by Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker on "The Fox" are as punchy as anything I've heard them come up with, approaching something like Jack White if Jack White fell in love with The Experience instead of his Johnson. Amazingly, The Woods just picks up from there.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
Skull-crushingly heavy, but not without a heart, 'The Woods' is definitely Sleater-Kinney’s finest (and loudest) hour to date.
Read Full Review >The Wire
Even when the songs aren't motivated by anger or frustration, they have a drive and a momentum that's breathtaking. [#256, p.52]
Austin Chronicle
Fans may have to have The Woods surgically removed from their players. It's just that powerful, demanding to be heard.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
It is incensed, dark with disappointment, and shows a startling new side to Sleater-Kinney; while its intensity makes it one of their best albums to date, it isn’t here to make friends or fans.
Read Full Review >Filter
The stunning One Beat of 2002 is a tough act to follow, and The Woods pulls it off soundly (though not exceedingly) by slicing together another improbable mash of grace and chaos all in the service of elaborately unhinged melodies. [#15, p.95]
The Guardian
Though the guitars sometimes get a little too intoxicated on their new freedom, this is a makeover that finally does the band's melodies proud.
Read Full Review >Blender
Valhalla, they are coming! [Jun 2005, p.114]
Uncut
This isn't mere sonic overload; Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein's vocals are still towering. [Jun 2005, p.107]
Amazon.com
A smoldering rock and roll record that rivals John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band and Nirvana’s In Utero in terms of unexpectedness.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Some of the best and heaviest music of its career. [2 Jun 2005, p.70]
Paste Magazine
The trio delights in creating songs just to tear them down and rebuild them again in a different way, giving the album a dissonant, experimental edge.
Read Full Review >Drawer B
Not exactly radio friendly, The Woods explores sonic deconstruction a la Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix instead of the preciously catchy indie pop hooks you’ve come to expect.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Undoubtedly the one Sleater-Kinney album that everyone should have. [21 May 2005, p.66]
E! Online
The Woods seems like a retreat into the '90s, playing up the grunge and angst of the band's Northwestern stomping grounds.
Read Full Review >No Ripcord
The Woods is solid, well crafted and intensely energetic, but a magnum opus it is not.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
The ridiculous in-the-red ruckus keeps you from noticing how hokey and contradictory the lyrics are.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
The Woods feels almost nostalgic, exalting the era when noisemakers Nirvana, Sonic Youth, NIN, Fugazi and PJ Harvey were the touchstones of artistic merit. [#9]
Q Magazine
Compared to their early work, disappointing. [Jun 2005, p.118]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 157 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mike L gave it a10:
Amazing. Still an absolutely amazing record.
leon s gave it a10:
A couple of years on and I still cant stop listerning
Andy P gave it a10:
Great from beginning to end, even if the poor mastering gets annoying once in a while. Really captures the intensity of their live show. Sad to see them go, and glad I caught them at Lollapalooza first.
tim e gave it a10:
What a fond farewell to the greatest band of the decade.
hannah b gave it a10:
incredible album from the greatest girl group ever. a move away from punk, but still outrageous and as intense as always. i saw them live (thank god, as they've since disbanded) and they were unbelieveable.
Ian C gave it a10:
Sleater-Kinney may be an acquired taste, but anyone who can't appreciate this is beyond hope. The songs and production are fantastic, and the execution takes everything up another level. Forget about every other rock band-- S-K is the only one that matters.
Nick T gave it a10:
Sleater-Kinney, after 7 amazing albums, is still one of the most genuine bands working today. With "The Woods" they instill a sense of growth within long-time listeners. Corin's vocals alone are worth mountains of praise, but the amount of depth in this album and the growth from "One Beat" is inspiring. The girls just make their job look so easy.
