Grrrls Rule - 90s Edition

About a month or so ago, a few of us got together for drinks and we ended up talking about music. Specifically how amazing alternative music was in the 1990s. Even more specific - how many badass female artists (both solo and band leading) there were.

As genres like grunge and punk-rock became mainstream, the male-dominated industry began to shift, bringing women (finally) more into the limelight. From artists like Juliana Hatfield and Liz Phair to bands like Elastica and Sonic Youth, the 1990s were chock full of great female artists.

So I set out to create a playlist - easy at first - then it became a fun challenge in finding the obscure artists that I loved listening to (Abra Moore anyone?) that fit so well onto this playlist. 63 songs later (!) we’ve got a new mixtape. “Grrls Rock”.

Normally I’d list out all the artists and song titles, but with 63 songs, I’ll throw out some highlights:

I broke the rules a bit with the first song. Kicking things off is “Crash” by The Primitives. Released in 1988, the song was an instant hit on college radio. Lead by singer Tracy Tracy, the English indie pop band’s debut was fantastic - combining power pop with a new wave, post-punk edge.

Scroll down the mixtape a bit and you’ll get to Liz Phair. Her 1993 release Exile in Guyville was and still is a spectacular listen. Phair commented in interviews that the album was a song-by-song reply to The Rolling Stones' 1972 album Exile on Main St. I chose “Mesmerizing” as my favorite.

Another influential artist of that time (and on so many current-day artists) is PJ Harvey. I love her third album, To Bring You My Love. The songs on the album are heavily influenced by American blues music and was co-produced with Flood and John Parish (her longtime collaborator). “Down By The Water” is a fantastic track that combines electronic music with the blues.

Final highlight before you dive into the mixtape is a band from my hometowns - Velocity Girl. Forming in College Park, Maryland, the Washington, DC-based band had a shoegaze influence sound and was very DIY with their music, putting out a steady stream of 7” vinyl singles. “Copacetic” is classic shoegaze with a nod to My Bloody Valentine.

So dive right in and throw on your headphones - it’s gonna be a while. And feel free to comment with any favorite singers or bands that I may have missed.