Ok! Here we go, folks! I have ultimately decided that this blog was meant for the ladies of rock. Not to say that the guys can’t hang around because I may do some of their music every once-in-awhile. Why not, right?
 
I wanted to start off with my girl Cat Power, but I don’t yet have her music on my computer except for “He War”. But I definitely want to get to her soon. I figured that it would be better to get to the big guns a little later when the site hopefully has more traffic. To give you heads up, a few of the ladies that will be coming in the future will be Cat Power, of course, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Kristin Hersh, Liz Phair and Heather Nova, among others. I can’t wait!
 
 
But first, we shall start with this:

Auf der Maur

Auf Der Maur

She is Auf der Maur. Actually, she’s Melissa Auf der Maur. You may know her as the former bassist of Hole, and she went on tour with The Smashing Pumpkins a few years ago. Damn good resume, if I do say so myself. 
 
I first heard her when I was cruising through my lovely Real Rhapsody music program. They featured her “Followed the Waves” single before her album was released. I was curious, so I listened. I’ve never heard a chick rock like that before. I almost couldn’t believe it was a woman behind the music. But with her deep raspy voice and rough-edged vocals, she caught my attention – and kept it.

The noise she makes is well, loud. Not all of it is loud; she does have a softer side. But when you’ve spent the majority of your musical career in the midst of mid-1990’s grunge bands, it’s gonna have an impact on your style. There are heavy riffs and power chords in many songs, backed by a strong bass presence – not surprising since MAdM herself is the bassist. You may have heard “Followed the Waves” a few times; it’s a great song to jump around to. And yet there is another side to this chick rocker – one that lies in the vocals behind “Overpower Thee”, a song with a piano arrangement so simple that a beginner could play it. But the simplicity is what makes that song so powerful, as in “I could easily overpower you.” And for the length of that song, she does.

She’s captured me through the way she’s brought back something that I’ve always loved so much about the 1990’s – good hard rock. But it’s not just the power chords that I like, because I prefer variety in a songwriter.  She’s got a decent range in her style, one that I can definitely see her broadening with her next album. One thing that I always like to hear in a rock album is that one song that makes you feel like you’re walking alone down a dark street in the rain. MAdM’s rain song is “Head Abound”, probably my favorite on the album. The pulsing beat, the dreamy melody, the guitars that sit in the back and set the mood without taking over the song. And then, WHAM! – that bridge that sends it all home.
 
What makes her so important is that she’s letting the guys know that she can rock just has hard as they can, and top it off with a woman’s touch. But it seems like there are two things going on here. She’s paying tribute to the music that was so much a part of her life in the 90’s, like she demonstrates with the ever cool “I Need I Want I Will.” She’s proud to have been inspired by those musicians and she’s giving grunge rock a second chance. But at the same time, it’s clear that this is a woman on a mission. Melissa is trying to reinvent the post-grunge genre and she doing it with all her womanly power. Instead of letting the men in her life take control of her, she’s jumped ahead and wailed that she’s one hell of a sexy and powerful woman… and proud of it. She really does seem to be having fun basking in her power on this album. It’s almost as though she’s laughing at you. She knows she can create a strong rock song, and just for the hell of it she’ll throw in “I’ll Be Anything You Want”, as she opens the song like a suave Englishman, saying “Oh, for love is fun. Care to dance?” It’s actually more like, “Care to donce?” Why, yes, thank you for asking.
 
She’s worth your ears because she’s earned it. Put aside what you think you know about chick rock. She doesn’t yet have the creativity of PJ Harvey, but she’s no Avril Lavigne, either. I can sense a new wave moving through the rock spectrum, and Melissa Auf der Maur is at the head of the pack. If you’re a guy who likes to rock out, then AdM will give you what you need. If you’re a woman who wants to celebrate what happens when a true rock chick puts a guitar in her hands, then “MAdM Rock” is a good place to start.
 
She gets bonus points for the album production. The songs are mixed and put in a specific order so it seems like the songs were meant to follow the one before. It’s so seamless that it almost feels like one long, multiple-part song. Very nice!