L7

Talking tough and truly, women rocking the hard side continue to rise in number and
authority. Veteran no-bullshitter Chrissie Hynde leads her Pretenders to a new plateau.
True to Hynde's straight-rock muse, Independents is standard black-leather issue; its
distinction lies not only in its honesty (a Hynde hallmark) but in how its tailor stretches the
form to include both muscle flexing ("Rebel Rock Me") and unsentimental caring (... More >

Always a song band, they reverse the usual evolution by slathering themselves with grunge, which they play for weird sounds rather than dull despair. Hence their anger seems more metal-generic than punk-programmatic--rooted in the rock and roll everyday, where it belongs. It should go without saying that it's often about gender nevertheless; how anyone can accuse them of riding a bandwagon is beyond me. Every day, women is what they are, and there are lots of ways that can be sh*tty--the rape avoidance diary "Can I Run" describes only a few. But every day, rock and rollers is also what they are, and they're much better at it than Candlebox or Alice in Chains. And yes, the songs help. (Grade: A-)