Listening to an advance of the new Sleater-Kinney record and man is it wonky. Produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Low) "The Woods" is still definitely, inarguably S-K...But there are some definite differences too. Louder, crankier, crunchier guitars. Noodling melodies. A bit of fuzz and distortion.

...And those are only the first three songs. Interesting.

Was talking to Laura last night about it and she admitted that she's not quite the hard-core obsessive S-K listener she once was.

I'm not sure if I am either. Gone are the days of neurotic, OCD repeat plays of the first self-titled album or "Call the Doctor" or "Dig Me Out" or ..I mean, after all, it's like I came of age with S-K and seeing them live in a college gym in Portland in the summer of '96 is still one of my favorite memories. Right up there with blasting them on the car stereo on various car trips with Laura or jamming into a hot and sweaty Bottom of the Hill or Gilman Street over Memorial Day weekend in 1997 ...

Their recent records haven't been quite as life-changing for me but I'm older and I don't think they're supposed to be, at least not for me.

I still relate to them, however - the band has grown emotionally, musically, intellectually, I'm glad they're not stuck in any sort of "signature" sound -- and I still hit "repeat" on the CD player, just perhaps not quite as often.

And, of course, I still love seeing them live, even when they get to be all super-jam band...

If anything I think if S-K was still my do-or-die reason to turn the stereo to 11, then there might be a problem with me...We grow up above and out from -- but not necessarily over --these things that we adore.

Eh, does that even make sense?