That title is a little misleading. This isn’t a contract-fulfilling compilation of my Greatest Hits, or a clip-show in lieu of a new episode. Instead, it’s a quick catalogue of some of the most interesting, challenging and delightful things that I’ve come across as part of the Ladyist.
Best Album: Are We There by Sharon Van Etten
Sharon’s previous album, 2012’s Tramp, hadn’t made as much of an impact on me as I’d hoped, so I almost passed Are We There by. If it weren’t for the limitations of the Ladyist, I probably would have completely overlooked it, and that would’ve been my own loss. I clicked with Are We There instantly; ‘Afraid of Nothing’ is a staggering opener, fragile and determined at the same time. The opening piano gives me chills just remembering it, but Sharon’s voice is what sets her apart. In a song so defined by fear, and her strength in the face of it, the way her voice quivers and cracks but does not break speaks to her incredible resolve. It’s an incredibly emotive album that plenty of people will mistake for depressing, given its sombre tone, but Are We There is stronger than it seems.
Best song: ‘Crimson Wave’ by Tacocat
Tacocat’s fizzy, surf-flavoured power-pop is the kind of thing I’d go nuts for any day, so it’s no surprise that their album NVM is one of my most-played for 2014. It’s playful and fun, but has plenty of brains to match its heart. ‘Hey Girl’, a Ramones-y pop song about street harassment, came in a close second, but ‘Crimson Wave’ is impossible to overlook. Not only does it have all the twangy hooks you could want, it’s a song-length bundle of puns and allusions to menstruation. Usually a taboo subject discussed in terms of “freshness” and “girl troubles”, it’s refreshing to hear such casual talk about periods. And really, what better subject for an angry song than the monthly escape attempt of your uterus? Lyrical highlights include “listen to the Cramps on my stereo” and “sew a scarlet letter on my bathing suit/’cause I’ve got sharks in hot pursuit”. What more could you want in a song?
Best doco: The Punk Singer
Full and embarrassing disclosure: I was not very familiar with Kathleen Hanna before I saw The Punk Singer. I’d listened to the self-titled Le Tigre a handful of times, and only started to get them around the time that I flew to Melbourne for the awesome Girls On Film Festival. Of course, I knew the theory (riot grrl icon, agitprop feminist, all-around legend), but that didn’t prepare me for the massive shift in perspective that struck me while I was watching the film. Watching early-1990s Kathleen invite the women at a Bikini Kill gig to come to the front was a revelation, opening my eyes to the transformative power of music in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. The revolutionary promise of music is something we tend to squander (I’m thinking particularly of the unfocused anger of protest bands like Rage Against The Machine), so it’s striking to see a fairly small movement, represented here by Hanna and Bikini Kill, have such impact in pushing back against the hyper-masculine music business. It’s thrilling, inspirational stuff that should be shown to every smart young girl around the time she hits puberty. Do that, and I guarantee we’ll see the explosion of amazing bands with empowered girls at the front.
Best comic: Ms. Marvel (2014)
The last few months have been amazing for readers hungry for more female leads. Superheroes, supernatural tales, friendship to the max: the spread is diverse and ever-growing. Independent and creator-owned publishers like Image and Boom! have introduced some of the most exciting new lady-led titles like Lumberjanes, Shutter and Supreme Blue Rose, but it’s a pleasant surprise to see major publishers Marvel and DC do something to address their historically poor representations of women. Batgirl, Storm, Thor (featuring the still-unnamed woman currently wielding Mjolnir), Gotham Academy, She-Hulk: the sheer range is wonderful, even if it’s getting to be very expensive for someone who likes to vote with their wallet.
The stand-out, though, was a teenage girl living in Jersey City. Daughter to Pakistani-American parents and raised in an Islamic household, Kamala Khan is an unlikely figure to lead a new world of superhero comics (though she does have the all-important alliterative initials). Those differences, though, are Kamala’s real strengths: in a world of identical lantern-jaws and neatly clipped blonde hair, a little brown girl can make a splash. Freed from the normal expectations of superherodom (dead parents/crushing angst/incredible privilege), creators G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona crafted a hero who feels more human and relatable than any comic character since Spider-Man. I’ve spent many pixels talking about Ms. Marvel, and I plan to waste many more.
(Runner-up for Best comic is Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Bitch Planet, a cracking read and a bold feminist statement all in one. Issue 1 is phenomenal, from the grimy art and the graceful sci-fi world-building to the awesome protagonist flip at the end. The only thing holding it back is that there has only been one issue, but that one issue is enough for me to consider a “Non-Compliant” tattoo, so it’s a strong start).
Best book: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Yet more full disclosure: I haven’t finished Americanah yet, both because it is a large book and because its slow pace encourages thoughtful reading. Even partway through it, though, I can see the ways its changed the way I think in small but significant ways. Chimamanda’s small but carefully observed story about a Nigerian woman living in America is beautiful and understated, and told with the kind of specificity that gives it real life. Much like Ms. Marvel, it’s all the more striking because it’s a world that we don’t see represented in pop culture, and it’s had a real impact on the way I think about Nigerian culture. Her descriptions of Lagos, in particular, are the perfect balance of spelled-out detail and assumed knowledge that gives it life even for someone who’s never set foot on the same continent. The talk of Yoruba and Igbo, of language and naming; of the shared-but-separate culture of African immigrants from different nations; nothing could be further removed from my own experience, but Chimamanda has built her world so well that I feel like I know it intimately.
Best TV show: The Legend of Korra
I can’t believe it took me so long as it did to get into Korra. Much like with Sharon Van Etten, I’d liked but not fully clicked with parent series, Avatar: The Last Airbender when I started the Ladyist (though I’d only seen two or three episodes). Finally, circumstances conspired. At a friend’s dog’s birthday party (you heard me), I wandered into an intense conversation that took in martial artistry, Asian history and the commingling of Eastern and Western architecture. I knew enough about Korra then to follow the conversation, but I was staggered to hear the depth and sophistication that had gone into the imagining of this show. To make a cartoon about superpowered people using the classical four elements to fight each other is one thing; to draw on historical conflicts, specific Chinese dynasties and distinct forms of martial arts when you do so is to operate at a whole other level. Korra is nominally a children’s show, but has the care and detail of an epic fantasy. That water-benders (people capable of manipulating water) use movements derived from tai chi is no accident, but a carefully selected pairing between the in-world use of that ability and the principles of that martial art.
All of that detail (which is only a fraction of a hint of the depth which Korra and Avatar have explored) would be nothing if the writing wasn’t strong enough to support it. Thankfully, though, the scripts are as thoughtfully constructed as the world-building. The dialogue is sometimes a little too direct or expository, but the relationships between the characters are as complex and nuanced as you’ll find in premium drama. When a love-triangle emerged between Korra and her two male teammates, I groaned. Aren’t we done with this?, I thought; can’t we have a hero who isn’t defined by her relationships with men? Then, in the next episode, the love triangle had dissolved after Korra, Mako and Bolin talked with each other about their conflicted feelings. I was flabbergasted, and overjoyed to see that the writers could handle such complexity with grace and style. And all this before I point out that most of the cast, including Korra, are people of colour. Not bad for a kids show, eh?
I’m still only in the first of Korra‘s four Books, and I am so excited to dive into the rest.
Honourable Mentions
Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
Sweet and delicate, this very everyday story is invested with real wonder by Amy’s rich grasp of character. I cared for and identified with Astrid Jones intensely, and the subtlety and love in her story will stay with me for years. Critical reading for any teens who are grappling with their social and sexual identity (i.e. all of them), but just as essential for adults of all stripes.
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
I’ve already talked a bit about this book, but it deserves every bit of attention I and everyone else lavishes on it. The creeping dread of the five short stories in Emily’s debut collection would be enough to mark her out as an incredible talent, but her illustrations seethe dread and nightmare creatures such that it’s impossible to forget Through the Woods. Sometimes that’s less appealing, like the too-still moments in the wee hours that seem to invite thoughts of the body thieves and their jangling teeth, but you can’t deny their power.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
If I’d done anything more than scraped the surface of Dragon Age: Inquisition, it would’ve no doubt made the proper list. Even 10-12 hours in, though, I’ve only begun to understand what I’ve leapt into. The storytelling is a thing of wonder, as you pick apart the complex political and religious entanglements of Thedas while attempting to close a cataclysmic rift that’s bleeding demons into the countryside. In amidst that, find time to keep your companions happy (maybe romance your favourite) and explore the staggering beauty of the world around you. DA:I gets extra credit on top of that for the attention and care paid to female characters of all levels. Cassandra, Leliana, Josephine and Sera are just a few of the rich, distinctive female characters you’ll meet, with a refreshing variety of skin tones that you don’t often see in fantasy. Not only that, but the incidental characters are roughly balanced on gender, so you’ll see plenty of women just as ready to wield a battleaxe or a bow as you will in an apron or religious cloaks.
Ex Hex — Hex Rips
My only complaint about Hex Rips is the fact that I took so long to hear it. That’s entirely my own fault, though, so learn from my mistake and check it out. Simple, straight-to-the-point garage rock that still manages to sound fresh and exciting, and from Melbourne no less.
Parks and Recreation
If I have to explain why Parks and Rec is the greatest, I think I’ve cultivated the wrong audience.
There are so many other wonderful things I’ve experienced this year that I can’t imagine listing them all: you’d get bored around entry #4996, and I’d no doubt miss something. Have I missed anything essential, either from this list or altogether? Share it in the comments!
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