Kleenex and LiLiPUT are not the greatest, early punk related group comprised by women. Greil Marcus might disagree. And I can’t claim any sort of total knowledge regarding this specific sub-strain of pop musics, but after hearing these guys girls hyped for so long and then getting an earful, it’s not too difficult to figure that someone, somewhere surpassed this troupe
It should all be attributed to the backward gaze – human beings’ tendency to champion things from the past. Another word for that is historicism. And while we could all distill this in some weird art historical context, that’s useless. And probably Kleenex/LiLiPUT wouldn’t care for that either.
What is working for this/these Zurich, Switzerland based act/acts is that funk drumming and huge open spaces that would characterize the Slits and much latter all that turn of the millennium dance-punk seems to have been first proffered here, increasing as the band switched names. Doing something –arguably – first doesn’t mean that it’s best or better than anything. And while the aforementioned Slits weren’t too much for proper musicality, the notion of fan as musician is ratcheted up here to untoward levels.
So, between the F/feminist angle as well as the ineptitude of the players, it is understandable why so many folks are adherents to these bands. But hearing “Heidi's Head” more than a few times during the course of one’s life doesn’t seem like a necessity. And while that track offers a barely tenable chorus, the following “Nice” doubles down on intent and actually delivers – relatively.
For those young ladies coming up during the early eighties – or even guys that weren’t sure they should start a band - Kleenex/LiLiPUT are indispensible, so much so that K Records is attempting to work up a vinyl anthology of the band’s work. And while it’s not up for debate as to whether or not these songs constitute some sort of historical importance, I’d much rather through on a record by X. Yeah, there’s only one girl in that group. But Exene seems like she’s in charge.
The balance then becomes adherence to a doctrine uniting women, but issuing a somewhat inferior product and working with men, but crafting music that just about anyone with a pulse can properly appreciate in any given situation.