Girl Monster

Conceived as a mix album tying Chicks on Speed's music to likeminded artists of the past and present, Girl Monster also works as a loving history of underground music made mostly by women from the '70s to the 2000s. This sprawling, three-disc collection spans 61 songs from acts that are too fierce or too weird to conform to the airbrushed, mainstream image of female pop stars, or "fembots," as they're wittily described in "Girl Monster Intro." Since Chicks on Speed's main influences are punk and electronic music, those are the sounds that are most represented on Girl Monster, usually fused together, as on Le Tigre's shout-out track "Hot Topic" and Kevin Blechdom's saucy "Me Saw Me Momma." And while most of the songs here lean toward the energetic and emphatic, there are plenty of quiet, pretty moments, such as Barbara Morgenstern's "Mountain Place," Pam Hogg's "Honeyland," and Hanayo's "Pita Pata" that provide thoughtful respites from the more uptempo tracks. The collection's roster of artists reads like a "who's who" of forward-thinking rock and electronic performers: Hanin Elias, Ana Da Silva, Tina Weymouth, the Slits, Delta 5, Björk, Liliput, and the Raincoats are just the beginning. However, Girl Monster's most exciting moments come from discovering the "who's that?" artists, and the sheer number of performers represented ends up emphasizing the creative spirit that they have in common. Girl Monster's only flaw, if it can be called that, is that the collection doesn't offer more detailed historical information on the artists included here, especially since enough of these acts -- both historical and current -- might not be well known to even the hippest audiences. However, the essays and photo collages in the liner notes, which include pieces by the Raincoats' Shirley O'Loughlin and Perfect Sound Forever's Jason Gross, evoke the spirit of rebellion, fun, expression, and subversive glamour that the music embodies. Girl Monster celebrates all of these qualities and more; even better, you don't have to be a girl to appreciate how great this collection is. ~ Heather Phares|