Essential Selections
What are the best albums by queer women? We nominate these five as essential selections for your CD collection.
Melissa Etheridge
Self-titled
Melissa Etheridge’s debut album was released in 1988 and features the hits Similar Features, Like the Way I Do and Bring Me Some Water. Many of the songs on the album focus on Etheridge’s emotional battle in open relationship and her anger that her lover could be with another woman. It would be a few years before Etheridge would officially come out but this debut album deals with powerful emotions.
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Tegan & Sara
The Con
Queer Canadian twins Tegan and Sara’s fifth album was noticeably different to their earlier work and alienated some fans but it’s packed with great tunes like Back in Your Head, Call It Off and the album’s title track The Con. This album features heaps of guest performers too including Kaki King and former Weezer guitarist Matt Sharp. The tunes here are super catchy and the vocals are superb.
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K D Lang
Invincible Summer
KD Lang has so many great albums but Invincible Summer from 2000 is an underappreciated gem. Evoking the sounds of the late 60’s it’s filled to the brim with sunshine pop sounds. If you’re feeling down this album will lift your spirits with KD Lang’s soaring vocals. The highlight is the love song Simple – a tune that KD would re-record on a later album.
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Cris Williamson
The Changer & the Changed
OK, Williamson posing in her dungarees makes this most lesbian looking album of all time, but move beyond the artwork and you’ll find an incredibly tender and beautiful recording from the mid ’70s. Falling somewhere between country and jazz this is a perfect Sunday afternoon record. The stand out tracks are the album opener Waterfall and the stark piano ballad One of the Light.
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Ani DiFranco
Little Plastic Castle
DiFranco is prolific having released 16 studio albums in the last 20 years and almost as many live recordings. Little Plastic Castle is her 8th album, a mixed bag of folk and rock, filled with clever lyrics and intriguing sounds. This is a great CD for a road trip as it has a great range of styles and tempos.
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In The Crate
TOKiMONSTA
1. Samiyam – Kitties
2. Brandee Younger – So Alive
3. Sbtrkt – Never Never
4. The People’s Temple– Led As One
5. Bon Iver – Perth
TOKiMONSTA is traveling the globe DJing and is a much sought after remixer. Her latest EP Creature Dreams in available now on Ninja Tunes.
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FRESH TRACKS Download these to your iPod
Marian – Someone a moody groover that slowly builds Justin Faust – Girl Talk Classic disco party sounds Tiger and Woods – Kissmetellmemore a solid beat with subtle vocals Benoit and Sergio – Everybody beautiful glitch pop The S – Death and Rainbows piano and twisted techno Knight – One Kiss Balearic chill track that sounds like it’s from the 80’s Palpatations – Repeat Reverse Rewind indie guitars and angelic chorus Sioux City Boys Club – Blakes Seven classic TV show theme is made extra bubbly and woozy Lazy Disco – More Tigers (C90 Mix) funky bass lines and soaring synths Britney Spears – I want to go (Jump Smokers radio edit) Dance floor friendly song filled with catchy whistling Suzie McNeil – Merry Go Round former INXS Rockstar contestant releases half decent rock song
Graeme Watson
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