Bikini Kill

Catch up quick with the best of Bikini Kill's riot grrrl herstory. Better yet, give a copy to your little sister. "Rebel Girl" alone defines this early-'90s era of pick-up-a-guitar feminist empowerment for girls who aspired to be more like Joan Jett than Joan Baez. Kathleen Hanna stars as the inspiring "queen of the neighborhood" -- and dares others to join her.

Nine songs in 18 minutes--one bunch of three entrusted to Joan Jett in 1993 and keyed to the unforgettable anthem "Rebel Girl," the rest vented by the band in 1995 and keyed to the unforgettable title "I Like F*cking." It's striking and impressive the way they ratcheted their popcraft down. With this band, incoherence was always a way of knowledge, imbuing their spew of ideas and feelings with a conviction that made one's confusion about whether they actually liked f*cking or not irrelevant. After all, it was probably a little of both--given their intensity level, a lot of both. (Grade - A-)