"Ten More Dead in Iraq." "Photos Reveal Prison Abuse." "Pullout Delayed." "Anti-American Sentiment Rising."

As the headlines grow more and more gut-wrenching, a perennial question’s relevance grows with them. Is it an artist’s responsibility to address the political concerns of the day?

For Corin Tucker, lead singer of the rock trio Sleater-Kinney, the answer’s an easy one. “I just can’t imagine not,” she says.

Sleater-Kinney, who’ll be playing two nights at the Fillmore on May 22 and 23, released their sixth and most recent album, “One Beat,” in 2002. The songs, written in the aftermath of 9/11 and during the build-up for war in Iraq, addressed the fear 9/11 instilled in so many people, the troubling hyper-patriotism it created, and the importance of dissent in times of strife.

“It seemed like there was a huge gag on the whole U.S.,” she says. “No one was talking about how incredibly fucked up George Bush was.”

While it sold well and critics lauded it as one of the best albums of the year, not everyone was pleased with the Portland-based trio’s overt politics.

“We were on tour with Pearl Jam when the war began, and I remember getting up at our first show in Denver, and saying ‘Fuck the War,’ and getting booed by 15,000 people,” she says.

However, Tucker feels like times have changed since then, citing the recently created liberal radio station Air America as evidence of the growing voice of dissent. For their part, Sleater-Kinney, on their last tour, joined several organizations devoted to signing up voters and ending the war in Iraq.

Of course, politics alone can’t make a band (just listen to Rage Against the Machine), and “One Beat” would not have found it’s way into so many stereos if there wasn’t some serious sound to back it up.

Sleater-Kinney is a rock band in the truest sense of the word, blending foot-stomping, ass-shaking rhythms, caterwauling vocals sung with power and emotion, and guitar riffs ranging from infectious pop melodies to Zeppelin-esque chunks of volume. On “One Beat,” the band traded in some of angular, dense sound that made their previous albums require a few listens to enjoy for a much more straightforward, accessible approach. The result: one of the most exciting rock albums in recent memory, and a far better silencer of the ‘rock is dead’ naysayers than any Ivy League fashionistas with purposely mussed hair.

The band is working on new material for an album to be released next spring, and Tucker says they’re taking the sound of “One Beat” and running with it. “My friend in New York said it sounds like Cream,” she says laughing. They plan on unveiling at least three new songs at their upcoming shows at the Fillmore, songs Tucker calls “so fun to play live.”

Tucker’s excited about coming to the city – “I love San Francisco,” she says – even though she misses what she affectionately calls “the freaks.” “God, when you went and played San Francisco ten years ago, it was insane,” she says. “But now, our craziest show is in Baltimore, because all the dot-commers are mild-mannered, together people, and they’re not gonna take their shirts off and freak out. It’s like, what happened to San Francisco? I really miss the freaks.”

Freaks or no, Sleater-Kinney’s shows aren’t political whining sessions. Despite “One Beat” addressing some of the harshest issues facing Americans, an underlying hope pervades the album, a hope Tucker says largely inspired by her 3-year-old son, Marshall. For a generation used to their leaders either fecklessly complaining or planting their heads neck-deep into the sand, Sleater-Kinney provides an essential voice, and one that only grows in relevance as the future gets increasingly dim.

As Tucker sings on “Step Aside,” a song from “One Beat”: “These times are troubled these times are rough/There’s more to come but you can’t give up/Why don’t you shake your tail for peace and love.”