Bikini Kill

This marks post numero 600. As always, thanks for continuing to check in on this blog throughout its five years of existence, and hope to continue sharing as much music as possible with you guys for another five. To mark the occasion, as I have in the past, I picked one particular band that I think is absolutely essential to check out. This time around it's Bikini Kill, a band whose relevance has not wavered, even decades after they formed. Thus, cementing them as one of the most important bands to ever emerge out of punk rock as a whole, and known for putting the "revolt" in "revolution", haha.

Bikini Kill formed in Olympia, Washington in 1990. What began as a fanzine eventually turned into a band consisting of Kathleen Hanna (vocals), Billy Karren (guitar), Kathi Wilcox (bass), and Tobi Vail (drums). Though their reputation tends to precede them, there's no denying that Bikini Kill, in the sole context of a punk rock band, were fantastic. They brought an unadulterated energy to their music that very few bands ever match. In a way, they formed as a response to the brutish male aggression that had begun to dominate hardcore punk, and ended up besting those bands at their own game. Bikini Kill were a unique creation, that still sound distinct thanks to some fantastic songwriting and Hanna's indescribably charismatic vocal performances.

Though they do stand on their own, they are also inseparably linked to a major movement in punk, riot grrrl, which they are often credited with having kick-started (along with Bratmobile and many others). Essentially, it was punk's feminist movement (and also a major factor in third-wave feminism), in which many bands began addressing women's rights issues, in addition to a plethora of other sociopolitical subjects. I can't think of a better example than Bikini Kill, who laid their agenda out in plain sight, with their sound, approach, and lyrics being incredibly empowering to an undeniably (and unjustly) marginalized group of people (aka 50% of the world's population). I'm not going to get into it more than that, but essentially a band like this is important, in addition to being straight-up good.

A few notes on their discography. Revolution Girl Style Now! was their debut, a self-released demo that came out in 1991 (and reissued in 2015). It was followed up by their first official release, a self-titled EP in 1992 that began their relationship with Kill Rock Stars (a fantastic label). Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah was originally released as a split with another band, Huggy Bear, and was the first appearance of their signature anthem, "Rebel Girl". Both their first EP and split would later be compiled on The CD Version Of The First Two Records, which is aptly titled. Their debut LP, Pussy Whipped, came out in 1994, and is a definite essential here. It's follow-up, Reject All American, was released in 1996, a year before they broke up. It's a bit poppier than their prior releases, but still just as strong. A posthumous compilation, The Singles, was put out in 1998. If there is one thing here that must be heard, it's this. Every song is incredible, it clocks in under 20 minutes, and contains some of their best material.

Post-Bikini Kill, its members still remained fairly active. All members except Hanna had been playing in another band called The Frumpies, who were active in the years after Bikini Kill broke up. Hanna formed a short-lived project, Julie Ruin, before fronting Le Tigre, an electronic project that's arguably just as well-known as Bikini Kill. She is now active in another band, The Julie Ruin (key word is "The"), with Kathi Wilcox. They just released a new album last year, which is very solid. In addition, a documentary came out in 2013, The Punk Singer, which documents Hanna's life and career. It is highly, highly recommended if you get the chance to check it out. Enjoy.

Revolution Girl Style Now! (1991)

1. Candy

2. Daddy's Little Girl

3. Feels Blind

4. Suck My Left One

5. Carnival

6. This Is Not A Test

7. Double Dare Ya

8. Liar

Bikini Kill (1992)

1. Double Dare Ya

2. Liar

3. Carnival

4. Suck My Left One

5. Feels Blind

6. Thurston Hearts The Who

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (1993)

1. White Boy

2. This Is Not A Test

3. Don't Need You

4. Jigsaw Youth

5. Resist Psychic Death

6. Rebel Girl

7. Outta Me

Pussy Whipped (1993)

1. Blood One

2. Alien She

3. Magnet

4. Speed Heart

5. Lil' Red

6. Tell Me So

7. Sugar

8. Star Bellied Boy

9. Hamster Baby

10. Rebel Girl

11. Star Fish

12. For Tammy Rae

The C.D. Version Of The First Two Records (1994)

1. Double Dare Ya

2. Liar

3. Carnival

4. Suck My Left One

5. Feels Blind

6. Thurston Hearts The Who

7. White Boy

8. This Is Not A Test

9. Don't Need You

10. Jigsaw Youth

11. Resist Psychic Death

12. Rebel Girl

13. Outta Me

Reject All American (1996)
1. Statement of Vindication
2. Capri Pants
3. Jet Ski
4. Distinct Complicity
5. False Start
6. R.I.P.
7. No Backrub
8. Bloody Ice Cream
9. For Only
10. Tony Randall
11. Reject All American
12. The Finale

The Singles (1998)
1. New Radio
2. Rebel Girl
3. Demirep
4. In Accordance To Natural Law
5. Strawberry Julius
6. Anti-Pleasure Dissertation
7. Rah! Rah! Replica
8. I Like Fucking
9. I Hate Danger

Bandcamp

Unwound

This year's pick for the final post has got to be the one, the only, the great and under-appreciated, Unwound. Though their influence in the world of post-hardcore and alternative rock is immense, they don't get nearly enough recognition as they deserve for doing so. Not to mention they're probably the only band to ever give Fugazi a run for their money as the greatest "post-hardcore" band of all time.

Unwound emerged out of Olympia, Washington in 1991 as a young three-piece band. They were clearly enamored with the flagship bands of American 80's alternative rock, including Sonic Youth, Big Black, The Wipers, Flipper, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, and many others. This is evident in the band's early work, which blends together dissonance and noise with hints of melody and technical prowess. Even early on, the band is an incredibly tight-knit unit that could knock out anything from 2-minute hardcore songs to 5+ minute noise opuses. They developed a distinctive sound involving angular, distorted guitar tones, dark, complex bass lines, and some powerhouse drumming. Along with contemporaries like Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, and The Jesus Lizard, Unwound would grow to become definitive not only of post-hardcore, but of 90's punk and indie rock as a whole.

They released a steady stream of phenomenal LP's on Kill Rock Stars throughout the decade, each one better than the next. At the turn of the century, two major things happened to Unwound. In 2002, they broke up after over a decade as band. This would be sad if they had not released their London Calling in 2001, which was the breath-taking Leaves Turn Inside You. This was the first album the band recorded themselves, which also happened to be in their newly-built studio. Though they were on their final leg as a band, they stretched it out long enough to perfect what ended up being their grande finale. And holy shit, what a finale it is. The band stretches their sound into long-winding epics, bringing in the sound of post-rock. Unwound continuously build tension through repeated rhythms, meticulously crafting sonic layers. They incorporate strings and synths into their material, which divide up the band's usual chaos with some ethereal moments. In addition, this is by far their most melodic output, from the unique, angular guitar riffs to some borderline catchy vocal moments. Leaves Turn Inside You is a one-of-a-kind album, and is a phenomenal demonstration of the band's prowess and innovation on display. It's a big undertaking at first, but with each further listen there are many sounds and layers to delve into. It's sort of like the Pet Sounds of post-hardcore, in terms of production, songwriting, and experimentation.

There aren't many bands I would say have an "essential" full discography, but Unwound are definitely one of them. Each album is a display of an incredible band continuing to progress and push their boundaries to new limits. Though they do have a single, clear "best" album, I cannot stress enough that the rest of their material is absolutely worth the listen. It's difficult to ever narrow it down to another "essential" album of theirs, since each has such distinct and awe-inspiring qualities. To cut it short, just download e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. You won't regret it. Enjoy, Happy New Year, and I'll see you guys in 2017.

Fake Train (1993)

1. Dragnalus

2. Lucky Acid

3. Nervous Energy

4. Valentine Card/Kantina/Were, Are And Was Or Is

5. Honourosis

6. Pure Pain Sugar

7. Gravity Slips

8. Star Spangled Hell

9. Ratbite

10. Feeling$ Real

New Plastic Ideas (1994)

1. Entirely Different Matters

2. What Was Wound

3. Envelope

4. Hexenzsene

5. Abstraktions

6. All Souls Day

7. Usual Dosage

8. Arboretum

9. Fiction Friction

The Future Of What (1995)

1. New Energy

2. Demolished

3. Natural Disasters

4. Re-Enact The Crime

5. Equally Stupid

6. Pardon My French

7. Descension

8. Accidents On Purpose

9. Petals Like Bricks

10. Vern's Answer To The Masses

11. Here Come The Dogs

12. Disappoint

13. Swan

14. Full Explanation Of Answer

15. Excuse Me...

16. ...But Pardon...

17. ...My French

Unwound (1995)

1. Antifreeze

2. Rising Blood

3. Understand & Forget

4. Fingertips

5. You Bite My Tongue

6. Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere Again

7. Warmth

8. Prospect

9. Kid Is Gone

10. Kandy Korn Rituals/Against

Note: Recorded in 1992, meant to be their debut but wasn't released until 1995

Repetition (1996)

1. Message Received

2. Corpse Pose

3. Unauthorized Autobiography

4. Lowest Common Denominator

5. Sensible

6. Lady Elect

7. Fingernails On A Chalkboard

8. Murder Movies

9. Next Exit

10. Devoid

11. Go To Dallas And Take A Left

12. For Your Entertainment

Challenge For A Civilized Society (1998)

1. Data

2. Laugh Track

3. Meet The Plastics

4. The World Is Flat

5. Sonata For Loudspeakers

6. Mile Me Deaf

7. NO TECH!

8. Untitled 3 (Side Effects Of Being Tired)

9. Lifetime Achievement Award

10. Untitled 2 (What Went Wrong)

11. XLNT (Bonus Track)

12. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train (Bonus Track)

Live In London (1999)

1. Hexenszene

2. Side Effects Of Being Tired

3. Kantina / Were, Are And Was Or Is

A Single History: 1991-1997 (1999)

1. Mile Me Deaf

2. Broken E-Strings

3. Totality

4. MK Ultra

5. Seen Not Heard

6. Caterpillar

7. Miserific Condition

8. Everything Is Weird

9. Negated

10. Said Serial

11. Census

12. Plight

13. Stumbling Block

14. Eternalux

15. New Radio Hit

16. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train

17. Crab Nebula

Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)

1. We Invent You

2. Look A Ghost

3. December

4. Treachery

5. Terminus

6. Demons Sing Love Songs

7. Off This Century

8. One Lick Less

9. Scarlette

10. October All Over

11. Summer Freeze

12. Radio Gra

13. Below The Salt

14. Who Cares

On a quick little side note, their entire discography has been reissued by The Numero Group over the past few years, and included in a number of box sets. They all contain 3 LP's, with each containing two of their albums, and a third LP consisting of rarities and other material. They come in some very impressive packaging as well. In addition to the LP's, they've also released a 10-disc CD boxset spanning their entire career, which is also a very cool collection. You can find all of this over at Numero Group's website, which is here: http://www.numerogroup.com/artists/unwound

G.L.O.S.S.

Ok, so this is a band that have recently gained a ton of attention for all the wrong reasons. You've probably seen their name pop up on a few major news sites (Stereogum, Pitchfork, etc.) because of a series of tweets that were sent out by Whirr, essentially making fun of this band for having a transgender member and writing songs with a strong feminist/gender equality (in the truest sense) agenda. Basically, Whirr were being transphobic assholes. They got dropped by Run For Cover and Graveface because of it, and rightfully so. They've got a reputation online for being, well, assholes. And they don't seem very sorry about it at all. But not to focus too much on that, since there is one great thing that came out of that whole ordeal, and that's the attention G.L.O.S.S. have been getting, since they released a truly kickass demo earlier this year.

G.L.O.S.S. (Girls Living Outside Society's Shit) are a five-piece punk/hardcore band from Olympia, Washington that put out their debut demo in January this year. In five songs, they've got a lot to fucking say. They target social gender roles with the agenda of Bikini Kill and the aggression of Discharge, a match that could not be more perfect. They've got some great hooks to compliment their messages, but never stray from the fact that these songs are angry first and foremost. It's a great demo from a band that will hopefully continue to develop into a positive musical and political force. I don't normally care much about what "punk" is, but if I had to point to something and decide "yeah, that's punk", this band would probably be it. Angry, youth in revolt that cut through the bullshit and say what they need to say. Also, not to bring it up again, but it's a great "fuck you" to Whirr and those with the same mindset, and it was released even before those comments were made. I suppose "haters make us famous" is oddly accurate in this case, and thankfully so much more good has come out of it. So give this band a listen, they've got something worth saying, and enjoy.

DEMO (2015)

1. G.L.O.S.S. (We're From The Future)

2. Masculine Artifice

3. Outcast Stomp

4. Lined Lips And Spiked Bats

5. Targets Of Men

Trans Day Of Revenge (2016)

1. Give Violence A Chance

2. Out From The Desk

3. Fight

4. We Live

5. Trans Day Of Revenge

Bandcamp

RVIVR

RVIVR are a punk band from Olympia, Washington that formed in 2008. Their origins lie in the demise of Latterman and Shorebirds, both of which featured Mattie Canino. He formed a new band, along with Erica Freas (guitar/vocals) and drummer Kevin Rainsberry. Bassists in the band are the equivalent of Spinal Tap drummers. RVIVR (pronounced "reviver") have remained active for years, and have a number of EP's and two full-lengths under their belt. Stylistically, they have a lot in common with Latterman. Their chunky rhythm guitars, sharp lead guitars, pumping rhythm section, and catchy songs are still the norm here. However, RVIVR make full use of their two vocalists, which adds an entire other dynamic to their music. Both singers have very distinct voices, which work well either separate or together, and they balance each perfectly. The vocals are a big part of the band, since they write such catchy songs, with some awesome lyrics to back it up. Other comparisons can be made to punk/pop bands around now, including Iron Chic and Spraynard. However, RVIVR certainly stand on their own, by writing great songs and putting on amazing live shows. This band gets a ton of requests, so enjoy.

Life Moves (2008)

1. Life Moves

2. Plenty Of Time

3. Can't Stand It

4. Scrooged

Derailer (2009)

1. Derailer

2. Real Mean

RVIVR (2010)

1. Rain Down

2. Edge Of Living

3. Breathe Out

4. Real Mean

5. Cut the Cord

6. Grandma

7. Life and Death

8. Animal Hands

9. Cold in Your Bones

10. Pause

11. Breathe In

12. Change on Me

Dirty Water (2010)

1. Seethin'

2. Tallest Tree

3. Tiny Murders

4. Had Enough (Of This Hell)

5. Resilient Bastard

The Joester Sessions Collection 2008-2011 (2011)

1. Seethin'

2. Tallest Tree

3. Tiny Murders

4. Had Enough (Of This Hell)

5. Resilient Bastard

6. Life Moves

7. Plenty of Time

8. Can't Stand It

9. Scrooged

10. Derailer

11. Elizabethan Collar (by Jimbo)

Belebend (2011)

1. Paper Thin

2. Wrong Way/One Way

The Beauty Between (2013)

1. The Seam

2. LMD

3. Spider Song

4. Old Dogs

5. Wrong Way/One Way

6. Big Lie

7. Paper Thin

8. Rainspell

9. Ocean Song

10. The Hunger Suite I. Go Away

11. The Hunger Suite II. Bleed Out

12. The Hunger Suite III. Hunger

13. Elephant Song

14. Party Queen

Bicker And Breathe (2014)

1. 20 Below

2. Goodbyes

3. In Waves

4. The Sound

5. Bicker/Breathe

Wordpress

Bandcamp