Bikini Kill

On their second full-length album, Bikini Kill take some surprisingly gentle turns,
supplementing their fiery, bash-'em-in-the-face punk with sweetly seductive pop. Yet
unlike the softer, more amateurish sounds of other riot-grrrl bands such as Bratmobile,
these edgy, melodic anthems never lapse into whining. The emotion is raw and convincing
when frontwoman Kathleen Hanna screams, "I wouldn't be so fucking mad, so fu... More >

I define punk so that it includes the Replacements and Nirvana and Sleater-Kinney and any other short-fast guitar unit that gives me a thrill. These gals-and-guy are less broad-minded. So here's a '70s punk album as classic as, say, Green Day's--more so if, like these gals-and-guy, you think those guys-and-more-guys are way too f*cking broad themselves. The first album got over on spirit. Here Kathleen Hanna's vocals and Bill Karren's guitar add definition, confidence, (let's bite the bullet and call it) technical skill. Also, right, tunes. Plus I always listen up when they get to the slow one about a dead boy genius. (Grade: A-)