Last year after being rather put out about triple j's hottest 100 of the last 20 years being men-heavy to the point of a mere 8 songs in 100 being fronted or written by women, I spent a month focusing on women-made musics. You can read all about it over here.
I have been rather busy with my life and feel as though I've been missing out on both music listening time and blogging time, so I've set myself a challenge of writing every day of July about a song or a female artist of the musical persuasion. It means I can catch up on all the recommendations made by both friends and the taste-makers on the Internets, spend time in my room listening to fine things (and sipping whisky, if you must make yourself a mental picture) and generally enjoying myself.
July is a cold month in Armidale and so I think the company of talented ladies singing me all manner of things will warm me up no end.
A post a day. You may have noticed it's the 2nd that I'm starting this challenge, or at least posting about it. My defense is this: Canada Day is July 1st, and I had to drink delicious cocktails and watch a lovely Canadian movie with other appreciators of all things Canadia. But I do have a belated July 1st post for you.
I'm not being particularly political about this, although I guess in the face of many men, listening to and actively seeking female musical companionship may be an act of rebellion, or radicalism, or whateveryoumay. I just think small and amazing things can happen if you put your energy into them.
So this month it is all about the ladies.
Let's go.
Oh, also, by the end of the month I will have made a spotify playlist to share with you. In case you're into it. Alternatively, write me a letter and I might just post you a mix CD.
Showing posts with label my july challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my july challenge. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 July 2014
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
July music challenge: week 4, or, In Conclusion
I'd like to say that it's taken me this long to get to wrapping up last month's music challenge because I wanted to take some time to reflect, but the truth of the matter is, I just didn't get to it til now.
While I have found myself more likely to put on a female-based playlist this month as an echo of the habit of July, I have enjoyed a whole lot of new music that I was waiting until August to enjoy. And interestingly, what I've found is there's a lot of hiphop in that list. See, besides supporting women artists I'd like to support local artists, so there's a bunch of Aussie MCs I have grown quite fond of over the years; I suspect the love affair started when I was snowboarding, and it's never really gone away.
My ultimate dream-scenario would of course be an Australian female MC. Anyone know anybody? Please do let me know and make me the happiest girl in the world.
Statistically if we look at triple j (see way back to the first post for a link to such things), women are just not getting as much airtime. See also: this article. If women aren't getting as much airtime (let's for fairness sake assume these artists are just as talented as male-fronted bands... because they are) then we're just plain old less likely to get their songs stuck in our heads. Our favourites are partly our favourites from repeat listening, don't you think? If women musicians are statistically less like to be our favourites, we're less likely to buy their records, which means there's less of a market, which means less women are successful musicians, which means there's less of a pool of female-made music to put on the airwaves... and it all goes south at about this point. Understand me here though; I'm not saying you're not allowed to like male musicians anymore, or that you've been tricked into your favourites and you only think you like them. We definitely like what we like, but it's not such a stretch to think about why we like them, in terms of such a simple thing as what we've been exposed to. And I am not giving up Matt Corby for all the First Aid Kits in the sea.
This is the point where I admit it: fucked if I know how to sort this one out. Sometimes it's just awareness, but there is also the fact of your dollar: after a month of listening and admittedly barely scratching the surface of the female talent out in the world, I have to say, the thought of giving preferential spending treatment to female acts appeals. It's investing and being just slightly political with my pennies. For now, that's the best I can do, besides making you all mix cds that I'll be insisting you listen to (this probably won't happen, unless you ask me nicely and tell all your friends about my blog). Let's start a revolution: it would make an impact if we all started giving preference to purchasing music by female artists, or even making a point to request a song by a female artist once a week on triple j. ripple effect, and all that. no action is too small to make a ripple.
In a broader scheme, I have liked putting myself through a 'feminist challenge' - hopefully those of you reading for whom feminism is a squirmy word will realise that small and simple acts can hold a personal political significance. This is where these things start, and I have found it to be quite an easy task. So on top of various other writing-related challenges I'm committing to with my writing, I'm going to start a segment as regularly as I can manage to talk about how I've actively practised my feminist identity. Watch this space, and if it so pleases you, play along.
I'd like to leave you with a few favourites, old and new:
this one, because she's amazing and lovely, and I remember seeing her live at Woodford years and years ago, before she was even a solo act.
this one, because Flume = awesome, and Asta is a newbie from my July Challenge. I like it; apparently not everyone on youtube does, but meh.
and this one because of 500 days of summer, and because I have a wicked girl crush on Regina Spektor; she is just bloody spectacular.
While I have found myself more likely to put on a female-based playlist this month as an echo of the habit of July, I have enjoyed a whole lot of new music that I was waiting until August to enjoy. And interestingly, what I've found is there's a lot of hiphop in that list. See, besides supporting women artists I'd like to support local artists, so there's a bunch of Aussie MCs I have grown quite fond of over the years; I suspect the love affair started when I was snowboarding, and it's never really gone away.
My ultimate dream-scenario would of course be an Australian female MC. Anyone know anybody? Please do let me know and make me the happiest girl in the world.
Statistically if we look at triple j (see way back to the first post for a link to such things), women are just not getting as much airtime. See also: this article. If women aren't getting as much airtime (let's for fairness sake assume these artists are just as talented as male-fronted bands... because they are) then we're just plain old less likely to get their songs stuck in our heads. Our favourites are partly our favourites from repeat listening, don't you think? If women musicians are statistically less like to be our favourites, we're less likely to buy their records, which means there's less of a market, which means less women are successful musicians, which means there's less of a pool of female-made music to put on the airwaves... and it all goes south at about this point. Understand me here though; I'm not saying you're not allowed to like male musicians anymore, or that you've been tricked into your favourites and you only think you like them. We definitely like what we like, but it's not such a stretch to think about why we like them, in terms of such a simple thing as what we've been exposed to. And I am not giving up Matt Corby for all the First Aid Kits in the sea.
This is the point where I admit it: fucked if I know how to sort this one out. Sometimes it's just awareness, but there is also the fact of your dollar: after a month of listening and admittedly barely scratching the surface of the female talent out in the world, I have to say, the thought of giving preferential spending treatment to female acts appeals. It's investing and being just slightly political with my pennies. For now, that's the best I can do, besides making you all mix cds that I'll be insisting you listen to (this probably won't happen, unless you ask me nicely and tell all your friends about my blog). Let's start a revolution: it would make an impact if we all started giving preference to purchasing music by female artists, or even making a point to request a song by a female artist once a week on triple j. ripple effect, and all that. no action is too small to make a ripple.
In a broader scheme, I have liked putting myself through a 'feminist challenge' - hopefully those of you reading for whom feminism is a squirmy word will realise that small and simple acts can hold a personal political significance. This is where these things start, and I have found it to be quite an easy task. So on top of various other writing-related challenges I'm committing to with my writing, I'm going to start a segment as regularly as I can manage to talk about how I've actively practised my feminist identity. Watch this space, and if it so pleases you, play along.
I'd like to leave you with a few favourites, old and new:
this one, because she's amazing and lovely, and I remember seeing her live at Woodford years and years ago, before she was even a solo act.
this one, because Flume = awesome, and Asta is a newbie from my July Challenge. I like it; apparently not everyone on youtube does, but meh.
and this one because of 500 days of summer, and because I have a wicked girl crush on Regina Spektor; she is just bloody spectacular.
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
#30daychallenge day 16: my views on mainstream music
I have a general view on music: I say, music is good.
Music makes you happy, music makes you dance, music speaks to you on some level you hadn't quite articulated yet. Music gets you out of bed in the morning, music grants you joyous collective experience in the form of concerts, fangirling, social occasions where sing-alongs are appropriate.
Music is key.
I've talked a bit about music already, and last month I did a music challenge, where I only listened to female artists. But I probably haven't talked very much about mainstream music (and for all intents and purposes here, I'm interpreting 'mainstream' as 'popular', as in, top 40 artists). These few are not by any means representative of the scope of things, they're just on my radar currently, and that's that.
Taylor Swift:
Let's start here because she's kind of a big deal. Having recently been validated in my secret enjoyment of TaySwift by Tavi Gevinson, I have now gone public with my like of her. Well, by public I mean, I listen to her in my car while I drive to work some mornings. It helps to get me into the mindset of things! and stuff!, both of which are significant to my day. She's very poppy, but still harks to her country roots by mainly singing about relationships, which is how she speaks to a generation of girls and women for whom such things figure high-up on the priorities list. My current favourite song is '22', and I just think she deserves a bit of respect for her achievements at such an early age. Plus she's a bit of a dork, really:
(I also love Zac Ephron, but that's another story)
The only thing I really find to hold against her is her general snottiness about Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke at her expense at the Golden Globes this year, because it is important to be able to laugh at yourself, and I mean, everyone knows just how awesome these 2 are, go with it TaySwift! I suspect that sort of down-to-earthiness might develop with time, she is only 23 after all.
Miley Cyrus:
Bah, I don't have much to say personally but she is currently inviting a lot of criticism for her behaviour at the MTV VMA Awards last night; read this article here for a bit of a breakdown of her implicit racsim which I do agree is just not cool. Besides that, I'm not sure she's going off the rails like everyone seems to think, I suspect she's just a tiny bit of a douchebag at this stage in life, and I hope that maybe some of this criticism hits home in some way or how.
I choose not to touch how sexualised her performance is, because I think it's a hyper representation of the fact that sex sells, which we all know is the state of things currently. May it not always be the case that women have to simulate sex on stage for millions of fans to be provocative and popular (although, apparently she's pushed the limits too far; not sure where the line is, but it appears to be pretty blurry, which brings me to my next act...)
Robin Thicke:
I get into trouble here, because I found this single incredibly catchy when I first heard it. Like, put-it-on-a-birthday-mix-cd-for-my-dad catchy. Then, I saw the film clip, which made me think about the lyrics. Then I was put off. But it was still catchy. Which is why I heartily endorse this cover/parody:
A few things I might observe within hearing distance of Robin Thicke, or T.I., or Pharrell Williams (passive-aggressive styles): you're not subverting anything (Thicke holds it's a subversive track, pfft), you're silly, and I make hashtags look way better than you kids ever could.
Lady Gaga:
Nope, just kidding - don't want to touch this one. She sounds pretty cool when Caitlin Moran writes about her, but this burkha crap lately is just nonsense, and embarrassing, and no thank you.
I made an 8tracks playlist which you can check out here of some of my favourite "mainstream" hits that have immediately come to mind... (what is "mainstream", anyway?) - there are some remixes that I like. When the mood is right. You know the one.
Music makes you happy, music makes you dance, music speaks to you on some level you hadn't quite articulated yet. Music gets you out of bed in the morning, music grants you joyous collective experience in the form of concerts, fangirling, social occasions where sing-alongs are appropriate.
Music is key.
I've talked a bit about music already, and last month I did a music challenge, where I only listened to female artists. But I probably haven't talked very much about mainstream music (and for all intents and purposes here, I'm interpreting 'mainstream' as 'popular', as in, top 40 artists). These few are not by any means representative of the scope of things, they're just on my radar currently, and that's that.
Taylor Swift:
Let's start here because she's kind of a big deal. Having recently been validated in my secret enjoyment of TaySwift by Tavi Gevinson, I have now gone public with my like of her. Well, by public I mean, I listen to her in my car while I drive to work some mornings. It helps to get me into the mindset of things! and stuff!, both of which are significant to my day. She's very poppy, but still harks to her country roots by mainly singing about relationships, which is how she speaks to a generation of girls and women for whom such things figure high-up on the priorities list. My current favourite song is '22', and I just think she deserves a bit of respect for her achievements at such an early age. Plus she's a bit of a dork, really:
(I also love Zac Ephron, but that's another story)
The only thing I really find to hold against her is her general snottiness about Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke at her expense at the Golden Globes this year, because it is important to be able to laugh at yourself, and I mean, everyone knows just how awesome these 2 are, go with it TaySwift! I suspect that sort of down-to-earthiness might develop with time, she is only 23 after all.
Miley Cyrus:
Bah, I don't have much to say personally but she is currently inviting a lot of criticism for her behaviour at the MTV VMA Awards last night; read this article here for a bit of a breakdown of her implicit racsim which I do agree is just not cool. Besides that, I'm not sure she's going off the rails like everyone seems to think, I suspect she's just a tiny bit of a douchebag at this stage in life, and I hope that maybe some of this criticism hits home in some way or how.
I choose not to touch how sexualised her performance is, because I think it's a hyper representation of the fact that sex sells, which we all know is the state of things currently. May it not always be the case that women have to simulate sex on stage for millions of fans to be provocative and popular (although, apparently she's pushed the limits too far; not sure where the line is, but it appears to be pretty blurry, which brings me to my next act...)
Robin Thicke:
I get into trouble here, because I found this single incredibly catchy when I first heard it. Like, put-it-on-a-birthday-mix-cd-for-my-dad catchy. Then, I saw the film clip, which made me think about the lyrics. Then I was put off. But it was still catchy. Which is why I heartily endorse this cover/parody:
A few things I might observe within hearing distance of Robin Thicke, or T.I., or Pharrell Williams (passive-aggressive styles): you're not subverting anything (Thicke holds it's a subversive track, pfft), you're silly, and I make hashtags look way better than you kids ever could.
Lady Gaga:
Nope, just kidding - don't want to touch this one. She sounds pretty cool when Caitlin Moran writes about her, but this burkha crap lately is just nonsense, and embarrassing, and no thank you.
I made an 8tracks playlist which you can check out here of some of my favourite "mainstream" hits that have immediately come to mind... (what is "mainstream", anyway?) - there are some remixes that I like. When the mood is right. You know the one.
 |
| Music does connect us... and sometimes it's pop music that means the most to someone- that doesn't make it any less meaningful. |
Friday, 19 July 2013
July Challenge week 3, in which I discover several new artists
I'm wondering: is it a symptom of my generation (yep, still thinking within the framework of Gen Y) that the way I discover new music is through my various technological devices?
Last night, I sat up from 8:30 til 12am on YouTube, glued to the screen as I uncovered one song after the other, one artist after another. My little mind was somewhat blown last night, I don't mind admitting to you all. Between YouTube and Shazaam, I barely need to ask anyone which band it is or even leave the house to hear them play live.
Don't get me wrong for even a second: real life live music is always better, and a musical experience is so much more magical when you're seeing the real life live people, listening to them, feeling collective awe that hundreds or thousands of others are also feeling. Can't beat that. However, for everything else, there's YouTube.
New favourite lady act 1:
Nneka is a little bit amazing - Nigerian-German, with such a great hip-hip/reggae/soul mix going on. I like her a lot and hope to find some more of her music to enjoy.
New favourite lady act 2:
I've posted Anais Mitchell's NPR Tiny Desk Concert before, but have since gotten into her album material (so wonderful to discover a new favourite has multiple albums, for multiple listening pleasures). Her song "Coming Down" is quite lovely, and I realised I knew it already, as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame covered it for triple j's Like A Version one time. That right there is reason enough to make her your new hero.
New favourite lady act 3:
Daughter. Holy crap. Daughter first came on my radar for a cover of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", but I must admit I didn't give it too much attention as I was completely into San Cisco's more upbeat cover.
But this song is probably my complete and total favourite at the moment. And Elena Tonra, vocalist and leading lady, just seems so lovely and like someone I'd be friends with. The kind of person who I'd take a while to get to know, and eventually we'd be thick as thieves, and she'd buy me things at the opshop that she knew I'd like. This is my fantasy, which makes me suspect I could love female frontwomen as much as lust after male frontmen.
We'd probably have crafternoons and bake together and lay in the park on the grass looking up at the sun through the leaves of trees, too.
I hope I don't accidentally find out she is an asshole.
New favourite lady act 4:
Technically, not 'new', as I have been enjoying Of Monsters and Men for a while now - but I hadn't watched any of their videos or live stuff until last night, for some reason. And now I have a girl crush on Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, their lead female vocalist.
I think she'd be more of the type of friend who I'd go out to do crazy stuff with, like parties and bonfires at the beach, and inpromptu dancing. So our friendship wouldn't have to encroach on my friendship with Elena (see above).
This is the clip that made me love Nanna (her name is Nanna! She's Icelandic!)
Their band looks like they have a lot of fun, and makes me want to live in Iceland. I might do that.
Besides these ladyfriends I've been having imaginary quality time with, I've also discovered this awesome thing that's happening in Melbourne which I'm sure the Melbournians already know about, but get this: tram sessions. Artists jump on a tram and play some tunes and it just seems wonderful. This session by Thelma Plum is particularly nice, and makes me wish I was on that tram that time.
That's it for right now. Next week I will be writing up local ladies and ladies I know, who are making music. And maybe just dipping into triple j's Unearthed pool and seeing what wonder I can discover there, and how many potential new imaginary best friends I can meet.
As always - share any lady music discoveries or suggestions with me, to your heart's content.
Last night, I sat up from 8:30 til 12am on YouTube, glued to the screen as I uncovered one song after the other, one artist after another. My little mind was somewhat blown last night, I don't mind admitting to you all. Between YouTube and Shazaam, I barely need to ask anyone which band it is or even leave the house to hear them play live.
Don't get me wrong for even a second: real life live music is always better, and a musical experience is so much more magical when you're seeing the real life live people, listening to them, feeling collective awe that hundreds or thousands of others are also feeling. Can't beat that. However, for everything else, there's YouTube.
New favourite lady act 1:
Nneka is a little bit amazing - Nigerian-German, with such a great hip-hip/reggae/soul mix going on. I like her a lot and hope to find some more of her music to enjoy.
New favourite lady act 2:
I've posted Anais Mitchell's NPR Tiny Desk Concert before, but have since gotten into her album material (so wonderful to discover a new favourite has multiple albums, for multiple listening pleasures). Her song "Coming Down" is quite lovely, and I realised I knew it already, as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame covered it for triple j's Like A Version one time. That right there is reason enough to make her your new hero.
New favourite lady act 3:
Daughter. Holy crap. Daughter first came on my radar for a cover of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", but I must admit I didn't give it too much attention as I was completely into San Cisco's more upbeat cover.
But this song is probably my complete and total favourite at the moment. And Elena Tonra, vocalist and leading lady, just seems so lovely and like someone I'd be friends with. The kind of person who I'd take a while to get to know, and eventually we'd be thick as thieves, and she'd buy me things at the opshop that she knew I'd like. This is my fantasy, which makes me suspect I could love female frontwomen as much as lust after male frontmen.
We'd probably have crafternoons and bake together and lay in the park on the grass looking up at the sun through the leaves of trees, too.
I hope I don't accidentally find out she is an asshole.
New favourite lady act 4:
Technically, not 'new', as I have been enjoying Of Monsters and Men for a while now - but I hadn't watched any of their videos or live stuff until last night, for some reason. And now I have a girl crush on Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, their lead female vocalist.
I think she'd be more of the type of friend who I'd go out to do crazy stuff with, like parties and bonfires at the beach, and inpromptu dancing. So our friendship wouldn't have to encroach on my friendship with Elena (see above).
This is the clip that made me love Nanna (her name is Nanna! She's Icelandic!)
Their band looks like they have a lot of fun, and makes me want to live in Iceland. I might do that.
Besides these ladyfriends I've been having imaginary quality time with, I've also discovered this awesome thing that's happening in Melbourne which I'm sure the Melbournians already know about, but get this: tram sessions. Artists jump on a tram and play some tunes and it just seems wonderful. This session by Thelma Plum is particularly nice, and makes me wish I was on that tram that time.
That's it for right now. Next week I will be writing up local ladies and ladies I know, who are making music. And maybe just dipping into triple j's Unearthed pool and seeing what wonder I can discover there, and how many potential new imaginary best friends I can meet.
As always - share any lady music discoveries or suggestions with me, to your heart's content.
update on July's challenge: week two, or, oldies but goodies
Having grown up on a steady diet of quality tunes (read my blog on mixtapes, or my blog on music) I was only too happy to go back and revisit some of the favourites this week. I lugged my clunky old laptop out to mum's last weekend to comandeer a whole bunch of her music, and now have a few gb of tuneage which I am still making my way through.
These are some soulful women, I must say - Joan Baez, Joan Armadtrading, Tracey Chapman, Joni Mitchell, the Eurythmics... It's actually perfect for the sort of mood I've been dipping in and out of this week. I have to say, there's something about these women that really resonates, and I've been doing a little thinking about it to figure out exactly what it is.
I never studied music in any form so I probably don't know the right wordses to give this idea some life, but I think it's something about the simplicity of the music and the honesty of the lyrics. Have a listen to "Love and Affection" by Joan Armatrading, or my particular favourite, Joni Mitchell's "All I Want". I listen to this song and think of sunny summer weekends when Mum would blast this album through the stereo while cooking up an storm in the kitchen for whoever was coming out for a dinner party.
I think it's one of my favourite almost-love songs, still. There are some truly beautiful voices out there in the world today, but Joni Mitchell has such an amazing range, which you can't miss from her songwriting style. Tavi at Rookie writes about her love of Joni- couldn't have said it better myself.
It's been nice to simplify for a week - I've gone for what I already know and grew up with, so there's that wonderful sense of reuniting with old friends. I'm very grateful that my mum listened to so many female musicians growing up; the strength of their voices and their honest songwriting have left a legacy for everyone that has followed.
I had a lovely trip down memory lane with Stu and Hugh at Christmas time last year - we were driving out to Grandma's place for Christmas Eve drinks and Hugh cranked Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution". There is actually probably nothing I love more than going somewhere in a car with my little brothers, howling along to an old favourite, a shared experience of before, when we were little, and knowing all the words.
These are some soulful women, I must say - Joan Baez, Joan Armadtrading, Tracey Chapman, Joni Mitchell, the Eurythmics... It's actually perfect for the sort of mood I've been dipping in and out of this week. I have to say, there's something about these women that really resonates, and I've been doing a little thinking about it to figure out exactly what it is.
I never studied music in any form so I probably don't know the right wordses to give this idea some life, but I think it's something about the simplicity of the music and the honesty of the lyrics. Have a listen to "Love and Affection" by Joan Armatrading, or my particular favourite, Joni Mitchell's "All I Want". I listen to this song and think of sunny summer weekends when Mum would blast this album through the stereo while cooking up an storm in the kitchen for whoever was coming out for a dinner party.
I think it's one of my favourite almost-love songs, still. There are some truly beautiful voices out there in the world today, but Joni Mitchell has such an amazing range, which you can't miss from her songwriting style. Tavi at Rookie writes about her love of Joni- couldn't have said it better myself.
It's been nice to simplify for a week - I've gone for what I already know and grew up with, so there's that wonderful sense of reuniting with old friends. I'm very grateful that my mum listened to so many female musicians growing up; the strength of their voices and their honest songwriting have left a legacy for everyone that has followed.
I had a lovely trip down memory lane with Stu and Hugh at Christmas time last year - we were driving out to Grandma's place for Christmas Eve drinks and Hugh cranked Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution". There is actually probably nothing I love more than going somewhere in a car with my little brothers, howling along to an old favourite, a shared experience of before, when we were little, and knowing all the words.
Thursday, 11 July 2013
secret: an update on my july challenge: rediscovered lady tunes (and some pretty awesome covers, too)
So my July challenge is to dedicate a month of my music-listening time to women. I'm thankful I've already had some great suggestions and have already put a few of them onto my (hopefully one day) infamous Maude's Mix CDs (for the van).
Week One was wonderful (hah, that just reminded me of that move, That Thing You Do, where the band wants to call themselves the One-ders and they have to be convinced to instead settle on the Wonders). I spent some quality youtube time at the start of the week, I made a girls-only gym mix for my iPod and a girls-only driving mix for Maude-travel-times. The hit of youtube was this cover by the lovely Sarah Blackwood who is also know as the lovely blonde part of Walk off the Earth.
I think it's just lovely, especially since I love Weezer so. I made it track one on the CD, which means unless I skip it (and why on earth would I do that?) I hear it every time I start the van. Well, once I eject and re-insert the CD into the CD player. High tech all up in here.
Some thoughts and queries so far:
Can women rock out? Like really, lose-their-minds, rockstar cool styles? There's some incredible strength in the women I've been listening to in Week One; the range and emotion in Florence Welch's voice, the soul and mystery (with goosebumps) of Lana Del Ray; the heart-on-the-sleeve of Tegan and Sara. Haim are pretty good listening too. But I'm yet to be quite sure. Still on my list are PJ Harvey, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (I saw them live and now love Karen O a little bit, without knowing a lot about her), Sleater Kinney (because I have a growing admiration of Carrie Brownstein after reading this interview), Patti Smith, The Donnas and Neko Case. Just to name a few.
Week Two is about the golden oldies. They'll get a write-up on the weekend.
Also: I think I need to buy a stereo.
Week One was wonderful (hah, that just reminded me of that move, That Thing You Do, where the band wants to call themselves the One-ders and they have to be convinced to instead settle on the Wonders). I spent some quality youtube time at the start of the week, I made a girls-only gym mix for my iPod and a girls-only driving mix for Maude-travel-times. The hit of youtube was this cover by the lovely Sarah Blackwood who is also know as the lovely blonde part of Walk off the Earth.
I think it's just lovely, especially since I love Weezer so. I made it track one on the CD, which means unless I skip it (and why on earth would I do that?) I hear it every time I start the van. Well, once I eject and re-insert the CD into the CD player. High tech all up in here.
Some thoughts and queries so far:
Can women rock out? Like really, lose-their-minds, rockstar cool styles? There's some incredible strength in the women I've been listening to in Week One; the range and emotion in Florence Welch's voice, the soul and mystery (with goosebumps) of Lana Del Ray; the heart-on-the-sleeve of Tegan and Sara. Haim are pretty good listening too. But I'm yet to be quite sure. Still on my list are PJ Harvey, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (I saw them live and now love Karen O a little bit, without knowing a lot about her), Sleater Kinney (because I have a growing admiration of Carrie Brownstein after reading this interview), Patti Smith, The Donnas and Neko Case. Just to name a few.
Week Two is about the golden oldies. They'll get a write-up on the weekend.
Also: I think I need to buy a stereo.
Monday, 1 July 2013
secret: my july challenge: lady rock stars
i have started writing about the triple j hottest 100 that ran recently - hottest 100 in the past 20 years - and having scrawled pages of notes on the music that made it into the countdown, i will get around to sharing that writing with you at some point.
however, an article caught my eye last week which has spawned an idea which has given birth to a personal challenge: Eliza Sarlos wrote about the distinct lack of women in this latest hottest 100. read her full article about quotas on triple j and see what you think, if you like. it certainly made me think- i hadn't noticed how male-heavy the countdown was, merely recognising songs i loved and grew up with (and don't get me wrong, it's really more than ok to like what you like).
a fair point worth considering, though, is why there were not more women in the countdown. i love female artists. of course, i find myself identifying with their lyrics on a different level altogether. granted, i have truly embraced my need for loud hard rock&roll and the power it brings, and i'm the first one to believe in the amping power of hiphop when you're at the top of a mountain full of fresh powder and a board strapped to your feet. plus there's the sex appeal, as a heterosexual woman, of a sexy male frontman revealing all his feelings n shit by way of microphone and perhaps a bit of hip-wiggling. undeniably attractive. however, women are, in my experience, also exceptional musicians with exceptional talent (and yep, exceptional sex appeal). i want to recognise them, and figure out exactly what it is that female musicians do for me, as well as perhaps put a bit of brain-power into wondering why we (Australians voting in the triple j hottest 100) appear to prefer men to women. is it because triple j has male-fronted man bands on high rotation all year, meaning we simply get to like what we hear a lot of? is it because women are less likely to be given credibility as career-musicians? is it because women suck and should just stick to what they know and make me a sandwich?
karen pickering offered up a starter list of awesome bands and artists that are women- plus her readers piped up in the comments. some i'd forgotten about, some i'd always meant to check out and hadn't got to it yet, and some i'd never heard of.
so, my challenge for myself this month is to make it a "female musician appreciation month". girls only. qualifying statement: when i suggest girls only music, i do not mean the sexed-up female popstars of a top 40 countdown. they deserve a blog-post all of their own, in which i make clear that it's not their fault.
i listen to a lot of music, a lot of the time, and that includes the sexed-up popstars. it includes a lot of hiphop, although i'm still to find and get hooked on a female hiphop artist. that's the goal of the month, i guess.
i'm going to start this week with all the female artists i currently have access to/am listening to: adele, ellie goulding, emma louise, feist, first aid kid, florence + the machine, haim, kate martin, lana del ray, lisa mitchell, the naked and famous, san cisco, seeker lover keeper, tegan and sarah, thelma plum. next week i'm planning to revisit 'old favourites' including the bands and artists mum showed me growing up, such as tracy chapman, natalie merchant, the eurythmics, joan armatrading, joan baez, joni mitchell. more i'm sure, but can't think of them now - i'll raid her cd collection. the week after, hmm, maybe i'll try something i haven't tried before - this is where i open the forum up to you all. suggest your favourite kick-ass girl album for me, or i'll sample a few from karen's list that i've heard of but never heard. i think week four will be about making mix cds, and more new music; perhaps week four will be 'support a local' week and i can write up someone who i know and love.
i'm excited. it's going to be weird and also probably a little tricky to avoid male artists, but it's a month. help me out if you can - collective brain power is the best, i say.
for now, to officially open this month of woman noise, i'll leave you with a current favourite, the cranberries performing live at NPR's tiny desk concert series:
see how i've been doing with the challenge:
week one: spending more time with the ones i love/artists i already have accessible
week two: favourites from before i was born
week three: new lady loves & heroes
week 4: in conclusion
however, an article caught my eye last week which has spawned an idea which has given birth to a personal challenge: Eliza Sarlos wrote about the distinct lack of women in this latest hottest 100. read her full article about quotas on triple j and see what you think, if you like. it certainly made me think- i hadn't noticed how male-heavy the countdown was, merely recognising songs i loved and grew up with (and don't get me wrong, it's really more than ok to like what you like).
a fair point worth considering, though, is why there were not more women in the countdown. i love female artists. of course, i find myself identifying with their lyrics on a different level altogether. granted, i have truly embraced my need for loud hard rock&roll and the power it brings, and i'm the first one to believe in the amping power of hiphop when you're at the top of a mountain full of fresh powder and a board strapped to your feet. plus there's the sex appeal, as a heterosexual woman, of a sexy male frontman revealing all his feelings n shit by way of microphone and perhaps a bit of hip-wiggling. undeniably attractive. however, women are, in my experience, also exceptional musicians with exceptional talent (and yep, exceptional sex appeal). i want to recognise them, and figure out exactly what it is that female musicians do for me, as well as perhaps put a bit of brain-power into wondering why we (Australians voting in the triple j hottest 100) appear to prefer men to women. is it because triple j has male-fronted man bands on high rotation all year, meaning we simply get to like what we hear a lot of? is it because women are less likely to be given credibility as career-musicians? is it because women suck and should just stick to what they know and make me a sandwich?
karen pickering offered up a starter list of awesome bands and artists that are women- plus her readers piped up in the comments. some i'd forgotten about, some i'd always meant to check out and hadn't got to it yet, and some i'd never heard of.
so, my challenge for myself this month is to make it a "female musician appreciation month". girls only. qualifying statement: when i suggest girls only music, i do not mean the sexed-up female popstars of a top 40 countdown. they deserve a blog-post all of their own, in which i make clear that it's not their fault.
i listen to a lot of music, a lot of the time, and that includes the sexed-up popstars. it includes a lot of hiphop, although i'm still to find and get hooked on a female hiphop artist. that's the goal of the month, i guess.
i'm going to start this week with all the female artists i currently have access to/am listening to: adele, ellie goulding, emma louise, feist, first aid kid, florence + the machine, haim, kate martin, lana del ray, lisa mitchell, the naked and famous, san cisco, seeker lover keeper, tegan and sarah, thelma plum. next week i'm planning to revisit 'old favourites' including the bands and artists mum showed me growing up, such as tracy chapman, natalie merchant, the eurythmics, joan armatrading, joan baez, joni mitchell. more i'm sure, but can't think of them now - i'll raid her cd collection. the week after, hmm, maybe i'll try something i haven't tried before - this is where i open the forum up to you all. suggest your favourite kick-ass girl album for me, or i'll sample a few from karen's list that i've heard of but never heard. i think week four will be about making mix cds, and more new music; perhaps week four will be 'support a local' week and i can write up someone who i know and love.
i'm excited. it's going to be weird and also probably a little tricky to avoid male artists, but it's a month. help me out if you can - collective brain power is the best, i say.
for now, to officially open this month of woman noise, i'll leave you with a current favourite, the cranberries performing live at NPR's tiny desk concert series:
see how i've been doing with the challenge:
week one: spending more time with the ones i love/artists i already have accessible
week two: favourites from before i was born
week three: new lady loves & heroes
week 4: in conclusion
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