re: NPR's Top 150 Albums by Women

I don't mind a list made be female critics about female artists being pop-centric, as that is traditionally the genre women have had the most success. So it's the formative album for a lot of young girls. A lot of little girls were devoted to the Madonna v. Cyndi Lauper debate when I was a kid, and that's cool. I think a list like this should bring out those different icons.

But it also gives short shrift to the women in rock who could rock out, and ends up endorsing the view of pop music history that erases women from punk and post-punk, which is just silly. Sleater-Kinney is maybe the best band of the past 20 years, full stop. By putting them at #81 on a list of female artists, it unintentionally minimzies the role of women in rock. If the rockingest all-woman band can't get prime real estate on a list by and for women, why would anyone then believe they are one of the 10 best post-punk bands, regardless of gender?

I mean, even Juliana Hatfield famously stated women can't play the guitar. This list sort of endorses that view. Which is a shame, for obvious reasons. By X getting buried at #87 is absurd. And while we're mentioning modern artists on the list, no Courtney Barnett? Ex Hex? Charly Bliss? Diet Cig? Thao and the Get Down Stay Down? The Julie Ruin? Nice as frick? There's plenty of bad arse female artists right now.