While it's not on par with Dylan going electric, it is rather jarring to hear a horn section in a Sleater-Kinney song.
At the same time, it's obvious why they did it: They wanted a song anyone could dance to.
The song is a manifesto, if you will, stating the band's belief that dancing will end the world's repression. Yeah, it sounds like something Jefferson Airplane would say in a drug-induced haze, but when you think about it, the theory makes sense: Dancing involves movement, mob activity, happiness, optimism. It forces us to show our artistic side in a communal setting. That'll give the though police a headache.
Thankfully, Sleater-Kinney wrote a great song to go along with this idea. Lacking a bass player, the band gave one of its two guitarists a reverb-heavy, twangy score — I'm not sure which one, but I'd bet it was Carrie Brownstein — and the result is an exciting, energetic rhythm. Then the horns come in, and your feet are tapping whether you like it or not. To quote:
These times are trouble these times are rough
There's more to come but you can't give up
Why don't you shake a tail for peace and love?
Corin Tucker sings lead vocals; Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss sing backup, and their lyrics are in parentheses. The song is the sixth track on the band's 2002 release One Beat on the Kill Rock Stars label, and was co-written by Tucker, Brownstein and Weiss.
Edited September 25, 2003, to fit with copyright law.