Sleater-Kinney was an acclaimed, American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington in 1994. The band's core lineup consisted of Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), and Janet Weiss (drums). Sleater-Kinney were known for their feminist, left-leaning politics, and were an integral part of the riot grrrl and indie rock scenes in the Pacific Northwest.
The Hot Rock is the fourth studio album by Sleater-Kinney, originally released on February 23, 1999 by Kill Rock Stars. It was produced by Roger Moutenot and recorded at Avast studio in Seattle, Washington in July 1998. The Hot Rock reached #181 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and #12 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, becoming the first Sleater-Kinney album to enter the charts. The Hot Rock appeared at #23 in The Village Voice's “Pazz & Jop” critics' poll for 1999. Similarly, Spin placed The Hot Rock at #18 in its list of "The Top 20 Albums of 1999". In 2002, Rolling Stone ranked the album at #17 on its list of "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums".
“The expansive new sound gives Sleater-Kinney room to experiment with their Husker Du-style storytelling... They've earned the right to keep reinventing themselves". - Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
"Tucker explores what her voice can do when it's not in overdrive, stretching vowels like a religious supplicant or spewing prosody like Patti Smith. At the same time, Brownstein blossoms as a singer herself [...] braiding lines with Tucker so artfully the result sounds like the voicings of a single restless mind". [Grade: A] - Will Hermes, Entertainment Weekly
The album has been freshly remastered by Greg Calbi for this release. This reissue coincides with Sub Pop’s October 21st, 2014 release of remastered versions of Sleater-Kinney’s six other albums, as well as a limited-edition, deluxe vinyl box set featuring all seven albums.
The digital versions of these reissues come out via Sub Pop on September 2nd, 2014.