Post subject: Women's History Month Listening Project (Third Annual)
I'll only be listening to music by women this March to celebrate Women's History Month.
I will post weekly summaries of what I've checked out.
If you want to join me in full or in part, this is the thread for you. Or if you want to simply share discoveries, recommendations, and discussion, this is also the thread for you! _________________ Add me on RYM
Starting off the month listening project to this one, one of my favorites. Ex-Carissa's Wierd member who fully goes in the folk direction rather than what Band of Horses and Jenn Ghetto would go onto do, Sera grounds herself in her roots. Still dreary and great.
It was a fun first week, with some cool new finds and a lot of classics revisited. To reiterate, for these two listening projects, mixed bands qualify as long as women (or black people in the other thread) are responsible for songwriting and/or lead vocals for the majority of the album runtime. In the case of improvisational projects, it would be based on number of band members.
Week 1 (March 1-7). Albums I've heard in full before = *
Amazing
Let's Get Out Of This Country - Camera Obscura*
The Practice Of Love - Jenny Hval*
Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom*
Blue - Joni Mitchell*
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns - Joni Mitchell*
Ladies Of The Canyon - Joni Mitchell*
Split - Lush
Roseland NYC Live - Portishead*
Observator - The Raveonettes*
Tinderbox - Siouxsie And The Banshees*
Goo - Sonic Youth*
Great
Blacks And Blues - Bobbi Humphrey
Baduizm - Erykah Badu*
Amplified Heart - Everything But The Girl
One Two - Sister Nancy*
Quite Good
Aaliyah - Aaliyah
When This Life Is Over - And The Kids
Kollage - Bahamadia*
Trinity - Eartheater
~~~~~
Verdict: the three best albums I discovered this week were...
Oh DAMN. Where has this dreamy album been all my life, and why isn't it more highly-rated?? Definitely deserves a place near the top of the shoegaze canon instead of, say, Nowhere by Ride. Great vocals, songwriting, instrumentals. It's a little on the lighter side for shoegaze, but that makes the heavier sections all the more satisfying.
Thanks Gowi for this rec from the Black History Month thread, which I got around to this week. A very accessible jazz-funk album with a surprising amount of vocals mixed in. It grooves nicely and lands on the right side of cheesiness, albeit not by a wide margin. Humphrey's flute playing is great.
Smooth, languid sophisti-pop. I prefer Eden (the only other album I've heard of theirs), but this is a great listen as well. There's a nice blend of styles, from the subtle electronic elements in some songs, to others that are folkier, to others that are more adult contemporary. Both their vocals are top-notch. _________________ Add me on RYM
I’ve been listening to mostly female artists for a few days now. Mostly new listens with some re-listens sprinkled in. And mostly older folk artists. I’ll be listening to Buffy Sainte-Marie all day today. Here’s the best of what I’ve heard:
I’ve been listening to mostly female artists for a few days now. Mostly new listens with some re-listens sprinkled in. And mostly older folk artists. I’ll be listening to Buffy Sainte-Marie all day today. Here’s the best of what I’ve heard:
^^^Nope, I'm starting with her debut and going through to Illuminations. Just finished the debut. There's a lot of praise for it, so I'm looking forward to it! _________________ Can you play free, or in three, or agree to try something new?
In theory, being home thanks to the pandemic should have resulted in me listening to a lot more music. It didn't happen this week, but maybe it will over the week to come.
Week 2 (March 8-14). Albums I've heard in full before = *
Amazing
Future Me Hates Me - The Beths*
Shangri-Las - 65! - The Shangri-Las*
Great
Hopelessness - ANOHNI*
Infections Of A Different Kind (Step I) - AURORA*
Barbara N° 2 - Barbara*
Lemonade - Beyoncé*
Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry
New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh - Erykah Badu*
Turn Out The Lights - Julien Baker*
Quite Good
Loved - Cranes
Supa Dupa Fly - Missy Elliott
Rid Of Me - PJ Harvey
~~~~~
There's just one album I discovered this week that I really loved:
The country soul album I didn't know I needed right now. It's really country and really soulful, in a way that feels more balanced than some other music I've heard in the genre. Gentry makes music straight from the backwoods of the Delta that really transports you there. The vocals and instrumentals are great, but what really sets this record apart is the songwriting and atmosphere. The title track is legendary, and the rest holds up really well too - except for the line praising DDT. _________________ Add me on RYM
^^^I added Ode To Billie Joe to my massive queue months ago and forgot about it soon after. Think I’ll spin it today. _________________ Can you play free, or in three, or agree to try something new?
It was another week without a ton of music listening, and I went back to a bunch of old favorites for the first time in a while.
Week 3 (March 15-21). Albums I've heard in full before = *
Amazing
Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins*
Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves*
Great
A Different Kind Of Human (Step II) - AURORA
Homecoming: The Live Album - Beyoncé*
Pussy Whipped - Bikini Kill*
Debut - Björk*
Eat To The Beat - Blondie*
The Noise Made By People - Broadcast*
Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind: Singles And Demos 1964 To 1967 - Vashti Bunyan*
Quite Good
Capacity - Big Thief*
Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Remix Album - SOPHIE
Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos
~~~~~
Again, there's just one album I discovered this week that I really loved:
While I slightly prefer the first installment in this series, step ii is another very worthwhile listen. Accessible, well-made, interesting art pop. There are lots of hooks but also a lot going on. Her vocals are great. The lyrics are good, but probably not the standout element here. The Seed adapts the well-known "you can't eat money" quote into musical form. _________________ Add me on RYM
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