Album by Sleater-Kinney: The Woods

One of two undeniable albums I've heard in the last year (see also 'Arular' by M.I.A.), this one digests the internalized tension of unsettling times (see google search: 'failure') and allows the results to be appropriately messy and challenging. In contrast to Arular's rise-above celebration of fun, these Woods seem to contain Twin Peaks' black lodge: an opportunity to confront something fundamental and, for better and worse, to be changed by it. The exceptional results offer pleasure and escape (thanks especially to Brownstein's standout guitar work) but mostly the inviting comfort of solidarity and the satisfaction of struggle.