I’ve just seen that the second track from the Breeders forthcoming album Mountain Battles is out on the web.

For a free download of Bang On go here.

I’m quite liking it.  It’s understated.

I have belatedly discovered the list of the “50 gayest songs”created by Australian website Same Same to celebrate Mardi Gras.  I am left wondering who actually voted on this thing, that allowed ABBA’s Dancing Queen to be voted #1!  That song reminds me of being stuck listening to my stepmother warbling along to it in the car on a long drive, or drunk straight girl spinning in the middle of a circle of just-as-drunk straight girls at Boogie Wonderland.

Apart from the word “queen” in the title, there is nothing that screams gay to me, or makes me feel proud, represented - or like dancing.

Here are the so called “top ten” songs:

10. Alicia Bridges, “I Love The Nightlife”
9. Madonna, “Vogue”
8. Olivia Newton-John “Xanadu”
7. Kylie Minogue, “Better The Devil You Know”
6. Pet Shop Boys, “Go West”
5. Kylie Minogue, “Your Disco Needs You”
4. The Weathergirls, “It’s Raining Men”
3. Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”
2. Village People, “YMCA”
1. ABBA, “Dancing Queen

To be fair the full list has a few goodies on it - (I am What I Am, Over The Rainbow and such) but other than that, to me this top 50 is just a tired gathering of overused drag songs.

The only song that comes anywhere near creating a sense of lesbian pride in me is at #42 Constant Craving from KD Lang - and I don’t own a single KD Lang album (shock! horror!)

But rather than continuing to complain about what a dire drag this list is, I have surveyed a few friends from different spheres of this lesbian world and begun creating a list of some of the songs that make that lesbian marrow in our bones scream girl power.

Patti Smith - Gloria (1975)

This cover of Van Morrison’s Gloria gets my spine a-tingling.  It is Patti Smith right in the heat of her heyday singing “oh, she looks so good, oh, she looks so fine, and I got this crazy feeling and then I’m gonna ah-ah make her mine, ooh I’ll put my spell on her” and that powerful chorus “G-L-O-R-I-A Gloria.”

Heart - Barracuda (1977)

This song was apparently written in response to tabloid rumours, which some say stemmed from Heart’s own record company, that Ann and Nancy Wilson were lesbian lovers.  The rumours were disgusting and ridiculous enough for the Wilson sisters to get venomous, spitting out the lyrics “you lying so low in the weeds, bet you gonna ambush me, you’d have me down on my knees, wouldn’t you, Barracuda?”

Joan Jett - Bad Reputation (1980):

“I don’t give a damn bout my reputation.  You’re living in the past its a new generation.  A girl can do what she wants to do and that’s what I’m gonna do.  And I don’t give a damn bout my bad reputation.”  It speaks for itself doesn’t it?  This song tops my list, it makes me feel like I can conquer anything.

Joan Armatrading - The Weakness In Me (1981)

This song is clearly about being trapped between two loves - one old, one new.  It’s so tormented that, whether it’s intended to be about a woman or not, it reflects the nature of many lesbian relationships.  To me, it seems like it could be seen as being about being with a guy, then falling in love with a woman and just being completely rocked by it.  (Sorry about the kareoke version of teh video - click here for a better clip)

Gloria Gaynor - I Am What I Am (1983)

It’s a camp anthem I feel like gay guys and girls can all share.  Plus there had to be a disco number in here somewhere.   Come on sing along, ”your life is a sham, till you can shout out I am what I am.”

Sonic Youth - Starpower (1986)

This haunting song features the vocals of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and is said to be about the experience of watching Joan Jett play.  Let’s just ignore the fact Gordon’s bandmate Thurston Moore actually wrote it and just listen to the lyrics “she knows how to make love to me, she knows how to make love.”

K.D. Lang - Constant Craving (1992)

As I have already said, I don’t own any K.D. Lang albums.  However this song is a classic, it’s just gorgeous.  It makes me think about the times my girlfriend is away, when I miss her so much it’s literally a craving.

Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl (1993)

Have you ever met a girl you wanted to both take home and try on her clothes?  This song, which is laced with a little sarcasm, is about the “queen of the neighbourhood” that everyone loves and always seems to be playing in scenes of The L Word involving Shane.  I love these lyrics - “when she walks, the revolution’s coming.  In her hips, there’s revolution.  When she talks, I hear the revolution.  In her kiss, I taste the revolution.”

Melissa Etheridge - Come To My Window (1994)

Can you really have a list of the best lesbian music, without Melissa Etheridge?  She’s not quite the voice of my generation, but she is to be respected.  It’s inspiring that she even released an album called Yes I Am.  And true to her talent, she has plenty of fans from the gay and straight worlds.  Plus I quite like this song - and the video features Juliette Lewis!

Le Tigre - Hot Topic (1999)

This song is a shout out to a pile of feminist and queer icons that inspire Le Tigre, including Gertrude Stein, Bille Jean King, Cibo Matto and even Yoko Ono.  It also issues a challenge to keep on fighting with the lyrics “don’t you stop.  I can’t live if you stop.”

Melissa Ferrick - Drive (2000)

This song is HOT.  My friend introduced me to it with the following instructions: 

• Jump on the net and download the song (make sure it’s the studio version…not the live one)
• get the best quality you can
• listen to it through some great quality headphones…or a great stereo with your girl
• turn the lights low or light some candles,
• add a glass of red into the mix

Said friend finished the instructions with “and if this doesn’t make you wet then I don’t know what will.”  Hence I won’t put a video up and will let you discover it for yourselves, or relive it . . .

Pink - U+Ur Hand (2001)

I’m not particularly a Pink fan, but one does have to admit she is pretty hot.  And she’s split from that biker husband, so there’s always hope she’ll switch back to women.  This song can be taken with a side of innuendo, but it also has a pretty clear message . . . “keep your drink just give me the money - just you and your hand tonight”.  Nice way to deal with those unwelcome advances from guys in bars. 

Peaches - I U She (2003)

Although Peaches has many songs that could make this list, I’m going with the simple ode to being free in bisexuality, with ”I, you, she together, come on now baby let’s go.  I don’t have to make a choice, I like girls and I like boys . . .” Boys Wanna be Herwas a close second from this electro goddess.

Eurythmics - I’ve Got a Life (2005)

Annie Lennox is an icon for many lesbian women - and doesn’t she consistently look super hot in a tie?  The song is very reminiscent of Sweet Dreams with all the synth - with an against the odds message “I’ve got a life it ain’t over.  I’ve got a way, it’s the only things that’s mine.  All I’m asking for is tenderness, a little tenderness.”

Gossip - Standing In The Way of Control (2006)

This new-age gay rights anthem gets me pumped every time I hear it.  It’s the best thing to listen to when you’re having a tough day at work, or just need to wake up properly in the morning.  Beth Ditto says the song is a response to people being denied the right o gay marriage in the US; “I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It’s a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting.”

Who have I missed that you love?  The Butchies? Sarah McLachlan? Indigo Girls? Ani DiFranco? The Murmurs? Team Dresch? L7?  School me in your lesbian music taste!

(Please note, I refuse to include that contrived fake lesbian schoolgirl song All The Things She Said by T.A.T.U. - that is the opposite of girl power!)

The origin of my name for this blog “Kitten Power” is mostly tribute to one of my favourite musicians Cat Power, real name Chan Marshall, who I finally saw play live for the first time last night at The Powerstation in Auckland. 

Marshall is completely beautiful and she has a voice so sweet and stellar it overcame even the dodgy sound that beset The Powerstation last night.  She channels more blues than a one-legged guitar playing dog in the heart of Memphis.  Her swagger and charm were backed by what many people would see as a dream back up from The Dirty Delta Blues Band, featuring the likes of Judah Bauer from the Blues Explosion.   

Her latest covers album Jukebox was the centre of the show, with the dreamy version of New York, New York,which is made so mellow you can barely pick it as the same song performed by Liza Minnelli or Frank Sinatra.  My favourite from that album is actually a Hank Williams cover, Rambling (Wo)man, despite the fact that I am not at all a Hank Williams fan.  It’s testament to Marshall’s ability to take a song and rip its seams apart and sew up something new, while still keeping the original heart of it intact.

Marshall also played a number of songs from her last album The Greatest, including my favourite sweet ballad Where is My Love?  Even her own songs were given cover treatment, with her vocals slowed down and bluesed up a little bit.  She is one artist who I doubt will ever get bored with her own songs.

Cat Power played for a huge two hours and proved she has overcome both the stage fright and alcoholism that have apparently hampered her in the past. 

Granted it was a long show, but it’s always funny what you overhear at concerts.  There was one woman behind me who was raving on early in the set to some guy about how she had never even heard of Cat Power.  The pair then proceeded to sit in a corner and chat for the rest of the show.  At $60 a ticket - what a waste of money!

What’s on Kitten Power’s headphones?  Jukebox, by Cat Power

It’s always nice to re-live a concert afterwards.  But for anyone who hasn’t heard Cat Power yet or hasn’t heard her new covers album, it’s worth a listen.  It features covers of songs from James Brown, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Hank Williams, Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell, plus her original Song To Bobby which is about Bob Dylan.

If you’re looking for a gentler introduction to her work, try her most popular album The Greatest.

My big sister is getting married on Saturday, so this week saw the hen’s night.  I’m slightly scarred about hen’s nights since one quite a while ago where we had to put the name of the person we most desired into a hat and nobody quite understood how a woman’s name got in there.  Then the heavily pregnant bride gave a strange man a lap dance.  It was all just a mess really. 

But this time, after the stream of jokes from my sister and the groom-to-be’s family about whether my girlfriend and I should go to the hen or the stag (well, drinking on a boat and the possibility of  strippers is always tempting), we put our glad rags and heels on and headed for a night of femme fun.

The hen’s night was clucking along tamely enough with bubbles and wedding tales, until my sister nearly slammed my fingers in a drawer, then said without thinking “oh, you don’t really need your fingers do you?”  I shot her back a  that said “ummm . . . oh yes I sure do . . .” then realised it was my sister, so we had an awkward mili-second then fell about in fits of laughter.  I mean, what a thing to ask your lesbian little sister!

Of course there were games, toilet paper wedding dresses and “how well do you know your fiance” questions.  And the things people find to give as presents!  Penis-shaped chocolate, cock rings, penis-shaped bubble blowers - at which stage of present opening I was longing for boats and strippers.

We decided to head into the city for dinner and more drinks and soon realised we didn’t have a list of tasks the bride had to carry out.  How disorganised were we!  The list was hastily created by my giggling girlfriend and the bride’s giggling sister.  The success rate has given me a strange new pride in my ol’ big sis. 

What my sister didn’t do:

• Lick someone’s eyeball (that is just gross)
• Convince a guy she was French
• Get a round of free drinks (she just got herself free drinks, but good on her)

Among the things she did do:

• Get an item of clothing from a man (an English guy was more than happy to whip into the bathroom and whip off his boxers)
• Spank all boys wearing shorts
• Moon at least two taxis
• Dance backwards
• Go up to one guy and pretend your tongue is longer than your mouth

With all the screaming feminity, my hot-blooded butch side must have been breaking out in jealousy and it took over for bit when some idiot guy threw a pool table triangle at one of the girls.  I had on my leather jacket and all five foot of me marched up and told him not to throw ANYTHING at ANY of the women I was with, or ANY woman EVER AGAIN.  His response was to shout back at me “everybody is having fun except you, everybody is having fun except you!”  I was about to show him just how much fun could be had if I shoved the triangle up his arse, when my girlfriend calmed me down and put me back in my seat, saying “baby, you were doing the eyebrow thing” which is the face I apparently do when I am very mad and unimpressed. 

Funnily enough, we were at a certain central city bar where I can’t seem to go without getting into a fight with some poor boy.  Perhaps I’d just be better to avoid the place altogether, or at least take my leather jacket off before entering.

Now I must get the final preparations done for Saturday, when a dress, heels and lipstick are set to collide in a screaming mess of wedding femininity.

What’s on Kitten Power’s headphones: Simian Mobile Disco

I’m on holiday from work and in party mode and Simian Mobile Disco do a great blend of amped but easy party music.  Although it’s a been around for a little while, Hustler is my favourite track on the album Attack Decay Sustain Release, with the lyrics “I’m a hustler baby . . .  that’s what my daddy’s made me.”  

I have been pondering what fun could be had if we could create a Safe Sex Poster Girls competition.  Just think about it - publicity shots with hot girls modelling dental dams and surgical gloves.

According to the Aids Foundation; “HIV is almost unknown among women who identify as lesbian in New Zealand”.  Wouldn’t it to be nice to keep it that way?

And plus, who doesn’t like a bit of eye candy?

There are so many possible categories, I mean the generic labels butch/femme/lipstick lesbian don’t really define anyone anymore do they?  Aside from the fact I’d rather make out with Mark Sainsbury than wear lipstick, I’ve never been able to pin down exactly where I fit on that butch/femme scale anyway.

So while you guys can have your party / sporty / next-door / business / bear / alternative set (and their individual controversies), here are some possible girl categories I had fun coming up with:

The Woman in Uniform

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed flirting with the female cops at the Big Gay Out.  Girls in uniform are hot.  There are plenty of options - nurses, firefighters, even nuns.  I think my favourite would have to be the FDNY girls on the former TV show Third Watch.

Extra points for the best mouth to mouth.

The Power Dyke

There is just something attractive about power isn’t there?  Competitors here could test their skills at carrying out stomach-churning job interviews, leaving defence lawyers scrambling for words and making men’s suits look even better.

Extra points for making businessmen cry.

The Shane

That dark eye make-up, the perfectly placed tie, pouty lips and tired gaze.  Yes, Shane from The L Word is hot and yes - she seems to have become the model for many young lesbians.  But who can do it best? 

Extra points for hooking up with the most girls in 24-hours.

The She-Bear

She doesn’t like to shave, but she does like to go bush.  It’s a rough and rugged type of beauty.  But hey, she’s warm and cuddly, as well as being great at finding food.  What more could a girl want?

Extra points for the best bear hugs.

The Super Hot Older Woman

Candice Bergen is one of the most beautiful women in the world and makes Boston Legal even MORE watchable.  But it doesn’t end there for me - I LOVE older women and my girlfriend tells me if I ever leave her for anyone (not likely) it will be a S.H.O.W.

Extra points for being Candice Bergen.

The “Are You Sure She’s Not Straight?”

Traditionally known as the “lipstick lesbian” she’s so hot you just can’t believe she plays for your team, even if only part time like Angelina Jolie.  Think Portia De Rossi, or Kristanna Loken.

Extra points for being able to apply make up while driving, drinking coffee and talking on a cellphone.

The Even Sadder Than Before Emo

She’s realised that even emos now think being emo isn’t cool anymore.  The moping, the eyeliner and the whining boy bands are out the window and nobody wants to meet her at Aotea Square to stand around looking bereft.  What will she do?  Maybe she needs a hug from a she-bear?  

Extra points for reciting the most Panic At The Disco lyrics.

What do you think? What safe sex girls would you like to see?

What’s on Kitten Power’s headphones: Peaches The Remixer 

Fans of this electro goddess will love what she’s done with music from Crime-Mob and Yoko Ono, plus an even more funked up version of that old classic “Wild Thing”.   My favourite is the remix of F*cking Boyfriend from The Bird and The Bee.  Peaches heats up Inara George’s gorgeous vocals with her dirty brand of electro-sex.  Yum.

A week on from PJ Harvey’s concert at The Civic in Auckland, I just have to close my eyes and I am back there snuggled in my seat, lost in her tortured genius.

Polly Jean wafted onto the stage on Wednesday night in a head-to-toe white shock frock, which she could have borrowed from Nicole Kidman’s character in The Others.

Her appearance created a spark of cheers, but her wallowing guitar silenced every whisper in the room with the opening refrains of “To Bring You My Love”.

The exact opposite of her dress, she was dark.  Her show was a pure thriller, from the harrowing heaviness of her guitar to the gentle melody of the piano.  Her voice was deep, then screeching, then gentle.

When she performed the song Silence from her new album White Chalk, I was left shivering.

But Polly Jean herself was not so frightening.  She sat at the piano with a straight back and when she spoke she sounded like a prim and proper Englishwoman, telling the crowd she has a bit of “jip” in her knee and that the words scrawled across her dress were lyrics to her songs.

There was plenty of banter from the crowd in return.  A brave friend of mine from Wellington sparked a marriage bidding war when she shouted “Marry me PJ” from the third row.  Harvey said it was her first marriage proposal and I wish I had been the one to ask.

I have never before thought I could sit and listen to one artist play for the rest of my life, but with PJ Harvey - I really think I could.  

Is there any musician you’ve felt like you wanted to hear forever?