(Kill Rock Stars)
It was the day Princess Diana died that ex-REM guitarist Peter Buck first saw Sleater-Kinney play. He immediately wanted to form a band with singer Corin Tucker. Twenty years on, the pair release this promising debut with band members borrowed from King Crimson and Seattle stalwarts Fastbacks and Young Fresh Fellows. There’s no self-indulgence each song gets to its point quickly then sharpens it like a bayonet. The Arrival is 140 seconds of electric catharsis; Despierta a provocative anti-authoritarian call to arms. Occasionally there are hints of Television, Pixies, the Replacements, Pavement or similar acts, but Invitation has a righteous swagger all of its own.
Sing Like A Bird 