Almost by definition, punk music takes risks, and when Carin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney sings, “Bless me with Athene/there’s no meaner, she’s the best,” she invites the charge of pretentiousness, but a cool riff, a little momentum and an inspired vocal make “The End of You’ one of the most striking songs on The Hot Rock, Sleater-Kinney’s fourth album.

Some writers have, compared them to The Go-Gos, but that comparison is only accurate to the degree that both bands are/were female and catchy. The Go-Go’s were a pop band speaking the language of the marketplace, while Sleater-Kinney speak with individual voice.

Literally, the most individual voice in the band is Corin Tucker, whose voice is startling in its power and nuance. Her anger is involving in “God is a Number,” and when she says, ”the coldest face is the worst for me/and I won’t calm down ’till I get to you” in “Memorize Your Lines,” her pain is almost embarrassingly naked. Her high, clear voice is countered by Carrie Brownstein’s breathy, quieter second train of thought, often a down-to- earth commentary on the lyric.

On The Hot Rock, the lyrics are set in songs that steps outside conventional song structures. In “Don’t Talk Like,” the melancholy riff suddenly becomes intense at the end of the song, providing a far more satisfying ending than the traditional fade on the chorus. The verse/chorus structure is so common, it seems as natural as breathing until bands play songs that hook without adhering to it; then it sounds like the limiting convention it really is.
Since 1996, the hype engine has been cranking behind Sleater-Kinney like one of monster engines poking out of the hood of a Big Daddy Roth cartoon dragster. But the dubious pedigree of riot grrrl punk, and its tendency to produce more interesting social documents than listening experiences, kept a lot of listeners from joining the bandwagon sooner.

As The Hot Rock shows though, Sleater- Kinney merit all the critical praise they receive.