March 2002
H.E.A.R. Honors L7
L7's (official
site) heavy, punk-inflected, riff-oriented guitar grind
-- a mix of the Ramones, Motorhead, and Joan Jett -- was what
earned them a dedicated following of fans in the early '90s,
not the fact that they were female. While the band is strongly
feminist, they never let their rhetoric stand in the way of
their roaring guitars. L7 always relies on the sheer sonic
aggression of rock, not its lyrical power.
When the group was on Sub Pop early in the '90s, the band
sounded punkier and more abrasive; signing to a major label
didn't cause them to lose that aggression -- they just had
a better production, courtesy of Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing
Pumpkins, Sonic Youth). Featuring "Pretend We're Dead,"
1992's Bricks Are Heavy was a major alternative hit; their
second major-label album, the coarse Hungry for Stink, was
released right before L7 toured with 1994's Lollapalooza.
The acclaimed Beauty Process: Triple Platinum followed in
1997, and a year later the group issued Live -- Omaha to Osaka.
1999 saw the release of the L7 film documentary The Beauty
Process, directed by former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic;
a new studio LP, Slap-Happy, appeared later that same year.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.
L7 a girl band after all of our hearts. On tour L7 members
know the importance of protecting their most important musical
instrument.... their ears.
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