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  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
The Woods Image
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 35 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 183 Ratings

  • Summary: The ubiquitous Dave Fridmann produced this latest outing for the veteran indie rockers, their first album for Sub Pop.

Top Track

Modern Girl
My baby loves me, I'm so happy Happy makes me a modern girl Took my money and bought a TV TV brings me closer to the world My whole life Was like a... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 35
  2. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Alternative Press
    100
    [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]
  2. 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.
  3. Skull-crushingly heavy, but not without a heart, 'The Woods' is definitely Sleater-Kinney’s finest (and loudest) hour to date.
  4. 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.
  5. Rolling Stone
    80
    Some of the best and heaviest music of its career. [2 Jun 2005, p.70]
  6. A smoldering rock and roll record that rivals John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band and Nirvana’s In Utero in terms of unexpectedness.
  7. Q Magazine
    40
    Compared to their early work, disappointing. [Jun 2005, p.118]

See all 35 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 126
  2. Negative: 18 out of 126
  1. Jan 6, 2016
    10
    I think 11 years on I can say its a classic record. S-K progressed with each album until they reached perfection with this and No Cities ToI think 11 years on I can say its a classic record. S-K progressed with each album until they reached perfection with this and No Cities To Love. Are they capable of making a less than perfect album anymore? Expand
  2. JayD
    Jun 24, 2005
    10
    A phenomenal step forward for one of the best bands still lurking under the popular radar. The Woods may be a new sound for Sleater-Kinney, A phenomenal step forward for one of the best bands still lurking under the popular radar. The Woods may be a new sound for Sleater-Kinney, but somehow they make it seem like this is what they were meant to be all along. The turn towards heavier sounds and raucous distortion only makes one of the best bands around even better. Expand
  3. Daved
    May 28, 2005
    10
    Sleater-Kinney's crowning achievement. Multiple listens reveal every track to be a towering aural delight, though "Jumpers" deserves to Sleater-Kinney's crowning achievement. Multiple listens reveal every track to be a towering aural delight, though "Jumpers" deserves to be the track that breaks them into the mainstream. Just keep a slightly open mind of what S-K should be and it won't disappoint. Simply do not miss this record. Expand
  4. M.Mignatti.
    Nov 10, 2005
    10
    Incredible.
  5. ChadB
    May 25, 2005
    9
    The best afvice I have for anyone who ever had reservations about Sleater-Kinney in the past is to listen to "Jumpers". It embodies all of The best afvice I have for anyone who ever had reservations about Sleater-Kinney in the past is to listen to "Jumpers". It embodies all of the S-K elements that have been built up over the last decate and incorporates them into a wall of unbridled sound. Four seconds..... Expand
  6. Nov 13, 2010
    9
    Great album. It's got such a full sound, especially compared to many of other other acts in the riot girrrrl era. They've come a long wayGreat album. It's got such a full sound, especially compared to many of other other acts in the riot girrrrl era. They've come a long way since Heavens to Betsy.. Expand
  7. PDXR
    Jun 13, 2005
    0
    Barely accessible and disappointing. Worth a couple listens, but too scalding, abrasive and chaotic for repeat visits. Carrie B. is the Barely accessible and disappointing. Worth a couple listens, but too scalding, abrasive and chaotic for repeat visits. Carrie B. is the ultimate poser, raging against nostalgia in "Entertain," when, in fact, her entire sound on "The Woods" is a direct rip off of the guitar rock of the late 60s and early 70s. Irony? I think not. Just a lot of posing. Maybe this should be the end of S-K.. Expand

See all 126 User Reviews