Julie Ruin
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| Julie Ruin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Julie Ruin (Kathleen Hanna) | |
| Released | September 29, 1998 |
| Recorded | 1997 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 40:05 |
| Label | Kill Rock Stars |
Julie Ruin is the debut solo album by Kathleen Hanna (under the pseudonym Julie Ruin), released on September 29, 1998, through Kill Rock Stars.[1] She recorded the album in 1997 whilst taking a break from Bikini Kill.[2] Hanna recalled:
[It] was made as Bikini Kill was in breaking up, a guy who worked across the street from my apartment building was stalking me and I was being treated, in my own community, like a historical oddity. The solo record helped me remember that I was just a fucking person who liked being creative.[3]
She cited two albums, Girl Talk[4] by Lesley Gore and Delete Yourself[5] by Atari Teenage Riot, among the inspirations for hers. In addition to feminism, it touches upon crocheting, aerobics and resisting police abuse. It was mostly produced in Hanna's apartment in Olympia, Washington. She declared:
Girls' bedrooms sometimes can be this space of real creativity. The problem is that these bedrooms are all cut off from each other. I wanted the Julie Ruin record to sound like a girl from her bedroom made this record but then didn't just throw it away or it wasn't just in her diary but she took it out and shared it with people.[6]
Hanna started collaborating with her friends Sadie Benning and Johanna Fateman to create a live band to perform songs from the album. This group would go on to become Le Tigre.[7]
In December 2010, Hanna and former Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox formed a band called the Julie Ruin.[8]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10[10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
| Spin | 6/10[12] |
| The Village Voice | B−[13] |
The New York Times noted the "charmingly unruly jumble of sounds and influences: the cheesy tick of a drum machine up against the manic buzz of electric guitar, the frenzied spirit of punk overlapping the demure coo of 60's girl groups."[14]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radical or Pro-Parental" | 2:15 |
| 2. | "V.G.I." | 3:48 |
| 3. | "A Place Called Won't Be There" | 2:52 |
| 4. | "Tania" | 2:41 |
| 5. | "Aerobicide" | 2:54 |
| 6. | "Apt. #5" | 3:13 |
| 7. | "My Morning Is Summer" | 3:15 |
| 8. | "I Wanna Know What Love Is" | 3:36 |
| 9. | "The Punk Singer" | 2:07 |
| 10. | "On Language" | 2:06 |
| 11. | "Crochet" | 2:01 |
| 12. | "Interlude" | 0:51 |
| 13. | "Stay Monkey" | 2:56 |
| 14. | "Breakout a Town" | 2:22 |
| 15. | "Love Letter" | 3:08 |
Samples
[edit]- I Wanna Know What Love Is samples The Guns of Brixton by the Clash.
- Stay Monkey samples I'm Coolin', No Foolin' by Lesley Gore.
- Breakout A-Town samples It's All I Can Do by the Cars.
- Love Letter samples I'm So Bored with the USA by the Clash.
References
[edit]- ^ "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. 56 (1): 46. September 21, 1998 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (June 14, 2011). "Kathleen Hanna Returns With the Julie Ruin". Pitchfork.
- ^ True, Everett (January 14, 2014). "Kathleen Hanna: the riot grrrl returns". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ Larsson, Milene (August 10, 2016). "Musical Memoir: Kathleen Hanna's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Larsson, Milene (August 10, 2016). "Musical Memoir: Kathleen Hanna's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ "The Punk Singer", 2013, Sini Anderson
- ^ Schmitt, Christina (January 19, 2000). "Le Tigre: Le Tigre". City Pages. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008.
- ^ Levine, Michael (2010-12-13). "The Kathleen Hanna Project @ Knitting Factory". Bust.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ Flota, Brian. "The Julie Ruin – Julie Ruin". AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent. "Julie Ruin: Julie Ruin: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide. New York : Simon & Schuster. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (October 1998). "Reviews". Spin. 14 (10): 141, 143.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (September 29, 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2023-12-22 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (24 Oct 1999). "Pop That's Produced Alone at Home Gets Personal". The New York Times. p. 2.35.
