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I have just taken part in a discussion about sexism in the hardcore or music scene in general. Unfortunately no one came up with a nostrum to annihilate this shit but at least we did all agree that there is indeed a problem and that one symptom of this problem is the very low percentage of people defined as female in the number of people active in bands. Spoenk now are an all female duo. Of course their genders shouldn’t matter but firstly they do matter in a patriarchal society like ours and secondly I don’t think they could be understood fully without linking them to the 1990s phenomenon called Riot Grrrl.
The whole record sounds very 90s and is interspersed with feminist awareness. However they are far less aggressive than e.g. Bikini Kill or Team Dresch. It’s rather a lofi version of Sleater Kinney. If I get it right the drums are programmed. If so it is done very well. Until I took a look at the booklet I would have taken bets the drums were “real”. Groove seems to be more important than straightforwardness and it takes some time until the catchiness and the melodies unfold fully.
I like this record. It makes me feel like it was 1994 and I was in Olympia/WA. Does anyone remember that awesome movie “slaves to the underground”? This is what I have to think of when I spin this record. I only had it on vhs and now I don’t have it at all. If anyone has it, please contact me! Anyway, a world with more bands like Spoenk and less bands that play oi! or metalcore would be a better world. Up the grrrls!
[jan]
www.myspace.com/spoenkrocks
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