Poems are bullshit unless they are

In her article, “Riot Women”, author Lindsay Zoladz discusses the band Sleater-Kinney, who recently released their newest album No Cities to Love after ten years of silence. Sleater-Kinney first hit the rock scene in 1994. In an industry dominated by males, this all-girl group sought to redefine the term “rock musician” to be non-gender-specific. Boasting lyrics such as “I won’t suck your big ego and then swallow all my pride / I’m just spitting out the memory and stains you left inside of me”, the band seemingly challenged the male musician archetype. A part of the riot grrrl feminist movement, Sleater-Kinney kept the spirit of gender equality alive alongside bands like Bikini Kill and Heavens to Betsy. However, after nearly eleven years of sticking it to the men, during which time they released seven albums, opened for Pearl Jam, and were dubbed the “best band in America” by music critic Greil Marcus, Sleater-Kinney disbanded and the three members, Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss, and Corin Tucker, went their separate ways.

After ten years of silence, Sleater-Kinney has returned to the headlines, releasing their newest album No Cities to Love. Despite their  break-up of 2005, the three members of the all-girl band, Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Janet Weiss, secretly collaborated on this new album and released it within a box set containing all of their previous albums. No Cities to Love has opened the door for further analysis of the band’s overall impact on the music industry and the legacy this feminist band has left behind them.

Sleater-Kinney first hit the music scene at a time when the  rock portion of the music world was dominated by males, and the only female competition was Bikini Kill and the like, leading the Riot grrrl feminist movement. “…Sleater-Kinney eventually became riot grrrl’s answer to the Clash— a band that cupped the flame of the movement from which it sprung, kept it flickering over an impressively sustained period, and used it to spark daring, unpredictable sonic experimentation” (Zoladz). With the band’s impact on the rock music scene clearly categorized as “feminized”, the question may be posed as to if Sleater-Kinney is hailed for their music alone, or rather, the fact that this music was produced by women. When will members of bands such as Sleater-Kinney be able to call themselves musicians without having to precede it with the title of “female”?

Since the beginning of their careers as musicians, the members of Sleater-Kinney have sought to break the mold of rock music being categorized as “for boys”. “Into that world strode Sleater-Kinney, a band of all women dominating its own section of the indie-rock scene, decidedly not there to be a ‘girl band.’ To Sleater-Kinney, boys just didn’t matter. The band was great, and it didn’t give a fuck what the boys were doing” (“How Sleater-Kinney”). Brownstein, Tucker, and Weiss challenged the traditionally male-led rock scene by producing music which rivaled their opposing bands. Even within their lyrics, they ripped on the dominating male musicians in the industry saying “I won’t suck your big ego and then swallow all my pride / I’m just spitting out the memory and stains you left inside of me”.

Within ten years, Sleater-Kinney produced seven albums, opened for Pearl Jam, and was even recognized by music critic Greil Marcus as “the best band in America”. This newest album release by the band is a reminder that the music industry still needs feminism, and women are still not getting the respect they have earned for their accomplishments. “And as much as sexism continues to run rampant in the music industry, the unqualified respect that Sleater-Kinney received from listeners, critics, and peers continues to point toward something hovering on a (one hopes) not-too-distant horizon— a time when ‘female musicians’ will just be ‘musicians'”  (Zoladz).

Citations:

“How Sleater-Kinney became one of the last great rock bands.” Vox.

        Vox Media Inc., 20 Jan. 2015, Web. 16 Feb. 2015.       

Zoladz, Lindsay. “Riot Women.” New York Magazine Jan. 26—Feb. 8,

2015: 85—87. Print.

New York Magazine. Advertisement. Jan. 28—Feb. 8, 2015: 95. Print.

This is a chair used in a classroom for sitting.

The chair is made of plastic and metal, and contains nine screws. It has two metal legs and four separate feet.

It can be said that the chair is both sturdy and durable which makes it ideal for frequent use. This is evident by the fact that it passed inspection in the state of California, and is constructed from reliable materials.

This article comes from Cosmopolitan Magazine with the seemingly intended purpose of encouraging readers to see Nick Jonas in a favorable light. Within the article, Jonas discusses how since working with Disney channel, he has sought to create a new image for himself by doing things like embracing his gay fans. Although he expresses how he was initially skeptical about taking such strides with his fan base, Jonas says he is glad to have done so. In addition to painting Jonas as a positive character, the article also highlighted Jonas’s claim that Taylor Swift throws the best parties in the music industry. Mainly, the author used puns which referenced a Taylor Swift song, and also threw in some personal opinions on Jonas, especially in relation to his physical appearance.

This is a test post.