The Music Blog of the Infonistacrat!

New feature starting today. When I come across a band that sounds promising, I am going to throw a link up to it, and mention them here. First up is a band called 3. Jump over to their site, and take a listen, see what you think. If you know of a band you want to see linked here, let me know, and I will get them posted.

A real treat for you all today…some good old fashioned riot grrrl. And not just any riot grrrl, but the queens themselves, Bikini Kill! If you were an alternative/grunge fan in the early 90’s, and I was, then you probably stumbled upon riot riot grrrl at least once. Unfortunately, these girl bands never made a wide spread impact, but damn, they made some of the best music of the time.

First though, you have to site through some of the other goodies I have lined up today…not that I think you’ll mind that much. I mean, honestly, who would mind the Violent Femmes? One of the greatest underground bands of the 80’s/90’s, these guys were a huge favorite of mine. I’m not going to play Blister In The Sun thought, thats too obvious and way too overplayed. Instead, I’m gonna through a super deep cut your way! Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah is obscure, sure, but it’s also so odd that its great. I can’t leave out Kiss Out off either…it kinda sums up the feelings of every underdog who ever lived. For a long time, I almost believe that they wrote that song just for me.

Continuing on, I’m throwing some Throwing Muses your way. See how I did that? Pretty clever, eh? Not half as clever as Kristin Hersh and her sister Tanya Donelly though. I know I talk about the Pixies a lot, but honestly, if you do love the Pixies, how can you not love Throwing Muses. They wrote some of the best music of the late 80’s and 90’s, and if you listened to college radio or were a fan of underground music, you certainly know how true that is.

Get Set Go, OK Go, and Aberdeen are three amazing bands. Forget that whole treadmill shit, Get Over It is the real deal. Get Set Go is so cheery, it will set your mind on fire. Ok, so that’s a bit of a stretch. You still have to admire a guy who’s “goal was to have lyrics so dreadful, yet memorable, that his grandparents would disapprove.” Need proof? Give a listen to I Hate Everyone, and you’ll just how bizarre these guys can be.

They Might Be Giants actually turned out to be true giants of the 90’s. Their songs celebrate all that is geeky and cerebral can be a little off kilter and sometimes plain weird.

Now to the good stuff. As I mentioned, if you were into the whole alternative/grunge scene, then you riot grrrl is something that should sound familiar. Roaring out of the state of Washington at the same time that that the Seattle scene was blowing out, they never received the coverage and commercial success of their male counterparts. Not that commercial success is a major yardstick of success. Honestly, I believe that bands like Bikini Kill, L7, Sleater-Kinney, and Babes In Toyland put out some of the best post-punk music to be found anywhere.

1. Violent Femmes - Prove My Love Demo
2. Violent Femmes - Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah
3. Violent Femmes - Kiss Off
4. Throwing Muses - Portia
5. Throwing Muses - Mercury
6. Throwing Muses - Say Goodbye
7. Get Set Go - I Hate Everyone
8. OK Go - Get Over It
9. Aberdeen - God Is Goin To Get Sick Of Me
10. Conshafter - Murder City Hi
11. They Might Be Giants - The Mesopotamians
12. They Might be Giants - The Sun Shine
13. Bikini Kill - New Radio
14. Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl
15. Bikini Kill - Tony Randall