☆ Women’s History Month Playlist ☆

Playlist link

 

KCSB-FM’s Music Department is back again with a playlist celebrating some of the wonderful contributions gifted by women to the musical world. This playlist is by no means comprehensive, but is meant to highlight personal favorites and artists to keep an eye on. Read on and give their picks a listen!

 

PARKER’S RECS 

• “I don’t love nobody” by Elizabeth Cotten

– Elizabeth Cotten’s voice is quiet and rough around the edges, which pairs beautifully with her nimble finger-picking and simple but charming lyrics. Born in 1893, Cotten picked up the guitar at a very young age and wrote many songs early in her life (“Freight train” was written when she was 12!). This song is perfect for sinking into a rocking chair and letting the music wash over you. It’s difficult to be in a bad mood while listening to Elizabeth Cotten. 

 

• “Jane in the Jungle” by The 5.6.7.8’s

– Formed by sisters Sachiko and Yoshiko Fujiyama and later joined by Akiko Omo, The 5.6.7.8’s create powerful, raucous surf rock accompanied by frequent wails, hoots, and hollers. These three infuse the eerie sound of Western surf rock with the raw, punk energy present in Japanese garage rock to make a tune that’s impossible to listen to while sitting still. 

 

• “Talkin’ Like You (Two Tall Mountains)” by Connie Converse

– Overshadowed in her time by folk singers who relied on tunes written in Tin Pan Alley, Connie Converse wrote all of her own music. In this song, Converse sings of the simplicity of nature and compares it to a past relationship. She ached for something else out of life, and in 1974 Converse disappeared completely leaving only a note behind. Her music failed to gain traction until the turn of the century, and fifty years later her songs still embody the search for peace and tranquility in everyday life.

 

• “Improvisation on a ‘Concerto Generator’” by Laurie Spiegel

– In the early age of computers, Laurie Spiegel experimented with computer algorithms to create electronic music that followed a rigid set of rules similar to Western classical music. In this song, Spiegel sought to replicate the harmonic progressions of Johann Bach. Spiegel was an early pioneer of electronic music, it’s fascinating to hear how the genre has developed since this 1977 piece. 

 

• “Fleshless hand” by ML Buch

– Marie Buch’s music is airy, warm, and incredibly vibrant. Her unique guitar tone sends me soaring through the sky when I hear her play. This album is truly unique and unlike anything I’ve heard before, I strongly recommend checking it out if you’re seeking forward-thinking guitar-based ambient pop. 

 

MAYA’S RECS

• “She’s a Girl” by The Amps

– With She’s a Girl, Kim Deal proves why she’s one of the most influential women in alternative rock. Best known for her work with the Pixies and The Breeders, Deal brought her signature rawness and off-kilter charm to The Amps, a short-lived but beloved project. The song’s fuzzy guitars and lo-fi aesthetic channel the effortless cool that made Deal a trailblazer in indie rock. As a woman who helped shape the sound of ‘90s alt-rock while breaking barriers in a male-dominated genre, Deal’s legacy is one of fearless creativity. She is truly so cool, she’s a girl!

 

• “Hello Rain” by The Softies

– Few bands capture emotional exposure and tenderness quite like The Softies. On Hello Rain, Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia weave a delicate and devastating take of heartbreak and closure, with their signature hushed harmonies resting gently atop warm, melancholic guitar lines. Melberg is a revered figure in indie pop, first making waves with the cult favorite all-female band Tiger Trap, while Sbragia brought her dreamy touch to All Girl Summer Fun Band before forming The Softies. Her songwriting, always intimate and deeply felt, has earned a cult following for its ability to turn quiet moments into profound reflections. Hello Rain is no exception – a masterclass in understated emotion and a reminder of why The Softies remain some of the most cherished songwriters in indie music. 

 

• “Forsythia” by Veruca Salt

– Swirling with fuzzy guitars and saturated 90s alt-rock angst, Forsythia is a standout from Veruca Salt’s 1994 album American Thighs. Fronted by Louise Post and Nina Gordon, Veruca Salt carved a space for women in the male-dominated grunge and alternative scene. This track is a fever dream of cryptic imagery and longing, with sun-drenched yet eerie lyrics that evoke the disorientating pull of obsession. Against a wall of distortion, the repeated refrain of “forsythia” feels like a plea and a surrender, capturing the band’s stylistic blend of sharp and sweet.

 

• “Isabelle Hates Charlie” by The Assistant

– Blistering, chaotic, and unrelentingly raw, Isabelle Hates Charlie exemplifies The Assistant’s place in hardcore as more than just a band – they were a statement. Emerging from the early 2000s screamo and hardcore underground, the group blended metallic intensity with deeply political and personal lyricism, confronting issues of gender roles, social acceptance, and systemic oppression. In a scene often dominated by men, The Assistant stood out not only for their sound, but for having women in leading roles, challenging the norms of hardcore’s aggressive, often hyper-masculine space. Achieving all this as an early 2000s hardcore band is no easy feat; The Assistant definetly paved the way for more female fronted hardcore bands.

 

• “Room Mate” by Lizzy Mercier Descloux

– Lizzy Mercier Descloux was a force of creative rebellion, carving her own path through the male-dominated avant-garde and no wave scenes of the late ‘70s and ‘80s. Room Mate is a perfect showcase of her playful, rhythm-driven experimentation – a swirl of minimalist funk, pulsing basslines, and sharp, chant-like vocals. A true pioneer, Descloux rejected convention, moving seamlessly from punk’s raw edge to worldbeat’s lush rhythms, long before it was in vogue. She stood alongside icons like Patti Smith and Richard Hell but remained uniquely herself – an artist unafraid to be weird, danceable, and boundary-pushing all at once. Lizzy Mercier Descloux proves that women in experimental music can be trailblazing, odd, and fun.

 

• “Mad Girl’s Love Song” by Roman Candle

– Drawing inspiration from Sylvia Plath’s poem of the same name, the song taps into a lineage of women’s voices reckoning with the tension between love and self-destruction. The song’s chaotic intensity is amplified by the genre’s signature screamed lyrics, but theres something uniquely visceral about the way female vocalists in skramz embody vulnerability and rage simultaneously. The track’s shifting dynamics – from soft, haunted murmurs to cathartic, crashing waves of sound – mirror the instability of heartbreak and longing.