Old Time Relijun - Catharsis In Crisis

It took me  awhile, but this band has finally started to grow on me. When I was looking at bands from the Portland area to listen to while on our road trip, OTR was one that had a lot accolades. I am pretty sure that I would have loved this band 15 years ago when I was going through my John Spencer Blues Explosion faze. But these days,  my musical appetite has changed somewhat. I  have lost my teenage angst as one friend likes to tell me. 

But as I said, it's starting to grow on me, but I don't think the song I listed is quite in line with the rest of the album... well, it might, but I don't think it actually captures there musical talent the way songs like Garden of Pomegranates does.  

The music is a abstract punk nod to Mississippi delta-blues with the only constant of the band frontman Arrington de Dionyso's bizarre, spastic and scratchy vocals.

Beat Happening - Dreamy

Here was the unique thing about Beat Happening, the band rotated instruments and vocal duties. Some might say this was done because none of the members had mastered their instruments and others claim it was unique artistic inspiration. That is left up to the listener to decide. What the band offers is simple chord strumming, backed by  crude drumming, on top of Calvin Johnson's deep basso vocals that cover there lack of a bassist. When Calvin is not fronting the band, Heather lewis sweet naive vocals. It minimalist indie rock of the 90's.

Bikini Kill- The CD Version of the Firs Two Records

When I was about 17 years old, my girlfriend at the time decided she no longer wanted the esteemed title. I found out days later that she dumped me for a Carnie (short for Carnival worker). Did you hear what I just said, I was dumped for a CARNIE! Of course, I was devastated. I mean who wouldn't be? To be left for a carnival worker is only slightly better than her dumping me for a homeless squatter with no respect for hygiene... only slightly.

A short time thereafter, someone put this tape on in my car. It was the first time I heard the song Carnival and from that day forward my heart has been intertwined with Bikini Kill. No matter how we differ on politics and ethics, I will be forever grateful to BK. It was like someone reaching out there hand to an abuse victim and telling them, "Hey, it's gonna be alright. I've been there too." For the first time, I understood this was a national epidemic, young girls falling for the swooning dirtiness of Carnie Charisma.

So there it is, there's my story of why I still love Bikini Kill. 

As for the record, well it's as the Title suggest a couple of EPs  meshed together. It's upfront, in your face, vulgar, female leftist liberal, punk at its finest. 

Sleater-Kinney -Call the Doctor

Alanis Morissette was so much cooler when she was in a punk rawk band. I mean her voice goes so much better with intense three chord riffs.

What? What do you mean Alanis Morissette wasn't in a punk band?!!! That's not her singing. You lie.

I suppose, that might be a slight exaggeration and since both Alanis' break out album and Sleater- Kinney's sophmore effort came out at roughly around the same time, it's hard to point fingers at who stole whose style, if anyone did at all. Maybe, it was just the sounds of the time, but to me Morissette and Tucker had some striking vocal similarities.

I have already reviewed SK once on my now defunct freshman effort of this blog, so I will simply say, I love riot grrrl music. Sleater-Kinney though they might have come on the tail end of fad, they were probably one of the best representations of it. But, let's not get lost in titles. These girls rocked and were a great punk band. You should have them on you playlist.

Kimya Dawson- My Cute Fiend Sweet Princess

Let’s start with this, I’ve never heard a Moldy Peaches record (of which Kimya Dawson was apart). Also,let’s be up front here, the first time I ever heard a song by the woman was in the movie Juno. Yes, I am quite aware I now have no street cred. However, I did take my family to the local record store to see her play, if that restores any dignity I had. The music is upbeat and bouncy, sort of along the lines of kids jingles, while her songwriting is depressing. This was her early work, lo-fi, anti-folk and darkly emotional. Somehow Kimya found a way to strike the balance and it seems to work well for her. Probably not for everyone, the album takes sometime to settle into and enjoy. But it’s rather stirring and hard to put out of your mind, once it’s sunk in.

On a side note, have you ever seen the commercial with the little housewife having the TV gangbangers over for tea and telling them that she is blocking their show from her families house? Pretty clever. But, it's also how I've come to feel about Kimya Dawson's early work. While I admit it's great artistically. It's just way too vulgar to be playing around my kids. I leave it up for you to decide, and I'm sure there are plenty of other bands you can point out to me and state, "but you like them!" Granted, nevertheless, I dropped her some "thumbs" because I can only listen to her when I am alone and then most the time I turn on something else.