NPR has compiled a list of what the outlet is calling the “150 Greatest Albums by Women,” as chosen by chief music critic Ann Powers and a cadre of other writers. The point of categorizing albums based on no criteria but gender, as explained by Powers, was to shift “the assumption that a male perspective can stand for all perspectives,” and to recenter women as a vital, dynamic part of the musical canon without reverting back to that perspective. Women are culturally trendy now, as you might have surmised from a glut of “Let’s Get Feministy” style merch in your native ad feed, but if you might remember when we were not—and those of us who’ve been through the “feminism is cool” cycle a few times can predict that there’s a decent chance the tide will turn back around.
And, of course, NPR’s list has holes—there’s no Chavela Vargas, for instance, in my eyes a horrifying oversight!—but Powers acknowledges that it will, and all lists such as these are constricted by the limitations of the people making them. It’s actually why I think the very concept of canon is bullshit, anyway; because it’s unfailingly ordained by people in power (usually men, creating a kind of circular hell). As Powers writes:
It’s arguable, in fact, that beyond getting the groceries, lists are fundamentally lies. They reflect unconscious biases and whispered compromises; they solidify beliefs that may seem relevant in the moment, but become incomprehensible to the next generation. They are also arguably anti-feminist. As Robin Morgan wrote in the anthology that helped define feminism’s Second Wave, 1970’s Sisterhood is Powerful, “The women’s movement is a non-hierarchical one. It does things collectively and experimentally.”
That said, here is our canon of dread! We didn’t really need to acknowledge that, for every 150 great albums by women that get made, there are at least twice as many terrible ones made by men, but as a thought exercise it was fun to think about the male albums that I, and my coworkers at Jezebel and the wider net at Gizmodo Media Group, think are the shittiest. We didn’t provide blurbs because that would have required listening to this awful discography yet again. They’re in no particular order apart from the top 10 or so, which deserve more disdain from me, personally, than most. You might find your favorite group on here, but don’t feel offended. Taste is always subjective, and it’s 2017; everything is bound to be utterly stupid from here on out.
150. Pearl Jam, No Code
149. Skinny Puppy, Too Dark Park
148. Mother Love Bone, Apple
147. Chris Brown, Graffiti
146. Ace Frehley, Ace Frehley
145. Dave Matthews Band, Before These Crowded Streets