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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 byKathleen Hanna (under the pseudonym Julie Ruin), released on September 29, 1998, throughKill Rock Stars.[1] She recorded the album in 1997 whilst taking a break fromBikini 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] byLesley Gore andDelete Yourself[5] byAtari Teenage Riot, among the inspirations for hers. In addition tofeminism, it touches uponcrocheting,aerobics and resistingpolice abuse. It was mostly produced in Hanna's apartment inOlympia, 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 friendsSadie Benning andJohanna Fateman to create a live band to perform songs from the album. This group would go on to becomeLe Tigre.[7]
In December 2010, Hanna and formerBikini Kill bandmateKathi Wilcox formed a band calledthe Julie Ruin.[8]
| 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]
| 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 |
