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SoapMagic Riot Poof Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Waiting for Prince Charming
Riot Poof
#1: Jan 2nd 2011 at 1:39:56 PM

Let's be honest - the music world is dominated by men, and women are often overshadowed by them. Just compare how popular Joni Mitchell is to the popularity of Bob Dylan! Let's celebrate the ladies that have contributed a lot to music, like the aforementioned Joni, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Björk, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair, Liz Fraser, Madonna, Nina Simone, Patti Smith etc. We can also discuss female musicians that aren't know for their songwriting, if you prefer.

Bananaquit Since: Jan, 2001
#2: Jan 2nd 2011 at 1:42:21 PM

I’ll probably be the first to mention Joan Armatrading and I know I’ll be the only one to mention Sally Oldfield!

merton defiance from my heart to yours. Since: May, 2009
defiance
#3: Jan 2nd 2011 at 3:24:00 PM

First of all, let's gush about Kate Bush. She's a goddess.

Second of all, St. Vincent. Classic pop forms put through a somewhat frightening experimental rock kaleidoscope. Sort of like the Distaff Counterpart to Andrew Bird, only not at all.

Third of all, Sleater-Kinney. Riot grrl meets Television meets the Breeders? I dunno. They have amazing guitar-vocal interplay and great angry lyrics. No bassist though.

Fourth of all, Electrelane. Kind of post-rock-ish (not to apparent in this song), kind of Velvet Underground-y (also not to apparent in this song), really good (readily apparent in this song).

Fifth of all Janelle Monae. You have probably already heard all the hype about her, and she deserves every single big of praise she's been given.

edited 2nd Jan '11 3:24:21 PM by merton

Words cast into the uncaring void of the internet.
Saeglopur Resident Hipster from Various places in the UK Since: Jan, 2001
Resident Hipster
#4: Jan 2nd 2011 at 3:26:49 PM

[up] Absolutely spot on with basically every single one of those, St. Vincent in particular.

Have some Joanna Newsom.

edited 5th Jan '11 4:43:30 AM by Saeglopur

Listen to Music with Tropers at The Troper Turntable!
melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#5: Jan 2nd 2011 at 3:27:25 PM

I kinda like Missy Elliot. I don't know of any other female rappers.

Bananaquit Since: Jan, 2001
#6: Jan 2nd 2011 at 5:39:07 PM

[up]Salt & Pepa?

Well, if I’d known we were doing bands too, I wouldn’t have neglected to mention Fanny!

edited 2nd Jan '11 5:39:22 PM by Bananaquit

Drpepperfan So Great, So Powerful. Since: Feb, 2010
So Great, So Powerful.
#7: Jan 2nd 2011 at 5:45:37 PM

[[youtubes4nWy8pmIM4]]

Not many people realize, 50 Cent is half man, half cossack. - Ross Noble
Drpepperfan So Great, So Powerful. Since: Feb, 2010
So Great, So Powerful.
#8: Jan 2nd 2011 at 5:48:29 PM

Gah, TV Tropes isn't letting me edit my previous post. I'll delete it later. Here what should of been there, the rockingest female group ever!

Not many people realize, 50 Cent is half man, half cossack. - Ross Noble
MarkVonLewis Since: Jun, 2010
#9: Jan 2nd 2011 at 6:45:37 PM

^ Fuck yeah, Heart!

Obligatory Emilie Autumn post. May sound like a broken record, me talking about her, but dammit I'm trying to spread the plague here!

Drpepperfan So Great, So Powerful. Since: Feb, 2010
So Great, So Powerful.
#10: Jan 2nd 2011 at 6:53:31 PM

What a voice. Amazing.

Not many people realize, 50 Cent is half man, half cossack. - Ross Noble
SoapMagic Riot Poof Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Waiting for Prince Charming
Riot Poof
#11: Jan 3rd 2011 at 6:11:20 PM

Kate Bush has definitely produced some of the finest music in history. It's too bad that she never appears in any "top X musicians" list. Nobody has replicated her brand of uniqueness, no matter what the elitists say!

I like Emilie Autumn. I'm glad she incorporates the harpsichord in her music. I enjoyed listening to Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane. I should listen to them more often.

edited 3rd Jan '11 6:13:11 PM by SoapMagic

whataboutme -_- from strange land, far away. Since: May, 2010
-_-
#12: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:36:22 AM

A few I can think of right now are Emileigh Rohn, Pat Benatar, Sharon den Adel and Beth Gibbons. They're all actually either creators of their own music project (Emileigh Rohn is Chiasm herself) or are Face Of The Band like all the rest I mentioned.

edited 4th Jan '11 12:38:49 AM by whataboutme

Please don't feed the trolls!
Bananaquit Since: Jan, 2001
#13: Jan 4th 2011 at 1:22:16 AM

What? No appreciation for Jane Siberry?

MikeK Since: Jan, 2001
#14: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:46:14 AM

That's Michael Stipe backing her up on the chorus, by the way. Hips And Makers is the only Kristin Hersh album I've heard, but it's a really good one. I guess on a related note, I'll give some praise to Throwing Muses and pretty much all the related artists I know of - 50 Foot Wave, Belly, and what little I've heard of Tanya Donnelly's solo stuff. Even The Breeders sort of count, since Tanya Donnelly was briefly in that band.

edited 4th Jan '11 1:31:56 PM by MikeK

wuggles (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#15: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:40:09 PM

How about Lauryn Hill (present craziness aside):

And Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSFyrrhKj1Q (the video embed won't work for some reason)

edited 4th Jan '11 12:42:06 PM by wuggles

Drpepperfan So Great, So Powerful. Since: Feb, 2010
So Great, So Powerful.
#16: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:48:33 PM

Do they have to be artists who've wrote their songs as well? And if so, does the song I embed have to have been written by them, or can it be a cover?

Not many people realize, 50 Cent is half man, half cossack. - Ross Noble
merton defiance from my heart to yours. Since: May, 2009
defiance
#17: Jan 4th 2011 at 3:55:32 PM

I forgot to mention X-Ray Spex! I will rectify this. They're probably my favorite first-wave British punk band. They've got saxophones and introspective lyrics. They're really good.

Words cast into the uncaring void of the internet.
MikeK Since: Jan, 2001
#18: Jan 4th 2011 at 4:15:21 PM

I've got Germfree Adolescents but don't listen to it enough. Oddly, I first discovered them because of a one-off cover band - there's a concert venue around here that likes to have local bands doing cover sets, and one year there was a band doing all X-Ray Spex songs.

Wicked223 from Death Star in the forest Since: Apr, 2009
#20: Jan 5th 2011 at 3:35:27 AM

Seconding the Lauryn Hill mention.

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!
yukijin from behind the scenes Since: Feb, 2010
#21: Jan 5th 2011 at 4:25:47 AM

My kind of music.. definitely need to second basically all of Soap Magic and Merton's suggestions.

Sia. A hell of a singer and has so much material she's written for other artists too. And this one.

Warpaint. I already plug this band too much round these parts.

Wallis Bird. Impassioned Irish singer/songwriter/guitarist.

Charlotte Hatherley. Formerly of Ash and Night Nurse, I think she's quite under-rated and has some great, if sometimes poppy songs.

Seen all of them play more than once, so they're live recommendations too.

I don't know of any other female rappers.

Jean Grae  *

, Bahamadia, A-Love, Heather B, and possibly Lady Of Rage. And yeah, Lauryn Hill's music is tip top.

edited 5th Jan '11 4:57:07 AM by yukijin

...is out to lunch.
sca_punk Not-Not-Not Your Academy from sca_punk's computer Since: Apr, 2010
Not-Not-Not Your Academy
#22: Jan 5th 2011 at 11:08:23 AM

Kaki King. Fantastic songwriter, fantastic guitarist, fantastic singer.

edited 5th Jan '11 11:09:14 AM by sca_punk

They're off the streets now, and back on the road on the riot trail. http://www.last.fm/user/sca_punk
Drpepperfan So Great, So Powerful. Since: Feb, 2010
So Great, So Powerful.
#23: Jan 5th 2011 at 11:33:50 AM

Probably the single best female voclaist there is.

Not many people realize, 50 Cent is half man, half cossack. - Ross Noble
SoapMagic Riot Poof Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Waiting for Prince Charming
Riot Poof
#24: Jan 7th 2011 at 8:41:15 PM

Blue by Joni Mitchell is highly recommended.

hrdcrnwo Kick some fin from Seattle, Washington Since: Jun, 2009
Kick some fin
#25: Jan 7th 2011 at 10:17:30 PM

One of my favorite songs ever:


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