The Woods (album)

2005 studio album by Sleater-Kinney

The Woods

Studio album by

Sleater-Kinney

Released| May 24, 2005
Recorded| November–December 2004
Studio| Tarbox Road Studios, Cassadaga, New York
Genre| Alternative rock
Length| 48:03
Label| Sub Pop
Producer| Dave Fridmann
Sleater-Kinney chronology
| One Beat
(2002)  | The Woods
(2005)  | Start Together
(2014)

|
|

Singles from  The Woods

1. "Entertain"
Released: May 10, 2005
2. "Jumpers"
Released: September 12, 2005

The Woods is the seventh studio album by American rock band Sleater-Kinney. It was released in 2005 on Sub Pop. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann and recorded in late 2004. The album received widespread critical acclaim.

## Recording and production

[edit]

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.[1]

## Release

[edit]

The Woods was released on May 24, 2005, by Sub Pop, making it the band's first release on that label.[2] Two songs from the album, "Entertain" and "Jumpers", were released as singles on May 10, 2005, and September 12, 2005, respectively.[3][4] The album reached number 80 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and number 2 on the Independent Albums chart.[5] As of October 2005, The Woods had sold 59,000 copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan.[6] As of February 2015, The Woods had sold 94,000 copies.[7]

## Composition

[edit]

Musically, The Woods is an alternative rock[8] album that takes on "steaming [and] swaggering" hard rock[9] and noise pop[10] with an arena rock[11] sound.

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 88/100[12]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [13]
Blender| [14]
Entertainment Weekly| A−[15]
The Guardian| [16]
Mojo| [17]
NME| 8/10[18]
Pitchfork| 9.0/10 (2005)[19]
9.4/10 (2014)[20]
Rolling Stone| [21]
Uncut| [22]
The Village Voice| A[23]

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",[24] while Keith Harris of The Village Voice praised Corin Tucker's vocals.[25] Less positively, Q awarded the album two stars out of five, finding it "disappointing" when compared to their earlier work.[26]

The Woods appeared at number four in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 2005.[27] Pitchfork placed it at number 127 on its list of "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s".[28] Similarly, Rolling Stone ranked The Woods at number 72 on its list of "100 Best Albums of the 2000s",[29] and Tiny Mix Tapes placed it at number 89 on its list of "Favorite 100 Albums of the 2000s".[30]

## Track listing

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Carrie Brownstein – guitar, vocals
* Corin Tucker – vocals, guitar
* Janet Weiss – drums, harmonica, 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

[edit]

1. ^ Vedder, Eddie (April–May 2005). "Divine Trinity". Magnet. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
2. ^ "Sleater-Kinney – The Woods". subpop.com. Sub Pop. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
3. ^ "Sleater-Kinney – Entertain". subpop.com. Sub Pop. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
4. ^ "Sleater-Kinney – Jumpers". subpop.com. Sub Pop. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
5. ^ "Sleater-Kinney – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
6. ^ "Sleater-Kinney Postpones European Tour". Billboard. October 25, 2005. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
7. ^ Molanphy, Chris (February 3, 2015). "Unfinished Business". NPR. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
8. ^ "The Woods - Sleater-Kinney | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
9. ^ Snapes, Laura (March 31, 2020). "Sleater-Kinney: where to start in their back catalogue". The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
10. ^ Hamilton, Jack (October 22, 2014). "The legacy (and return) of Sleater-Kinney, once America's best rock band". The Durango Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
11. ^ Pitchfork Staff (October 2, 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2023. "On The Woods, the trio rock out with their cocks out, embracing their inner shag-haired arena gods via florid guitar solos and thunderous low-end crunch..."
12. ^ "Reviews for The Woods by Sleater-Kinney". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
13. ^ Phares, Heather. "The Woods – Sleater-Kinney". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
14. ^ Phillips, Amy (June 2005). "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Blender (37): 114. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
15. ^ Browne, David (May 23, 2005). "The Woods". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
16. ^ Clarke, Betty (May 20, 2005). "Sleater-Kinney, The Woods". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
17. ^ "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Mojo (139): 108. June 2005.
18. ^ "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". NME: 66. May 21, 2005.
19. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (May 24, 2005). "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
20. ^ Pelly, Jenn (October 24, 2014). "Sleater-Kinney: Start Together". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
21. ^ Ringen, Jonathan (May 19, 2005). "The Woods". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 28, 2005. Retrieved October 28, 2005.
22. ^ "Sleater-Kinney: The Woods". Uncut (97): 107. June 2005.
23. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 27, 2005). "Consumer Guide: Sustenance Enough?". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
24. ^ Ryan, Kyle (May 24, 2005). "The Woods". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
25. ^ Harris, Keith (May 10, 2005). "Unsprung". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
26. ^ "Sleater Kinney: The Woods". Q. No. 227\. EMAP. June 2005. p. 118.
27. ^ "The 2005 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. February 7, 2006. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
28. ^ "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork. September 29, 2009. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
29. ^ "100 Best Albums of the 2000s; 72, Sleater-Kinney, The Woods". Rolling Stone. July 19, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
30. ^ Vanderslice, Heidi (February 2010). "Favorite 100 Albums of 2000–2009: 100–81". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.

* v
* t
* e

Sleater-Kinney

* Carrie Brownstein
* Corin Tucker

* Misty Farrell
* Toni Gogin
* Lora McFarlane
* Janet Weiss

Studio albums|

* Sleater-Kinney
* Call the Doctor
* Dig Me Out
* The Hot Rock
* All Hands on the Bad One
* One Beat
* The Woods
* No Cities to Love
* The Center Won't Hold
* Path of Wellness
* Little Rope

Live albums|

* Live in Paris

Compilations|

* Start Together

Related articles|

Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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