& now you’re up to date.

Friends pointed out that there are lots of current big-in-the-underground female-fronted acts that draw on the musical legacy of riotgrrl — Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and many dozen more. Someone suggested that the likes of Cherie Curie and Joan Jett were “too old” to listen to these bands. In Joan Jett’s case, at least, I disagree — the label she co-founded, Blackheart Records has releases from bands like The Dollyrots, and Girl in a Coma. But I think the hipster darling bands are irrelevant — they lack any significant economic impact on the industry.

I think it’s about who (if anyone) gets to take the promise of riot grrl to the bank. I think the argument Jess Hopper is refuting is that artists like Pink and Avril Lavigne represent the failure of riot grrl — they adopt some of the musical and/or fashion signifiers of riot grrl, but divorce it from its content, and thereby rake in boatloads of cash. I think Hopper is asserting both that any female artist making music without some Svengali-string-puller in the background is fulfilling the promise of riot grrl, but also that music doesn’t have to have fast tempos and loud distorted guitars to challenge the status quo.

Hanley’s voice sounds better than ever, by turns both tougher and sweeter than in her Letters to Cleo days. Guitarist/former-LTC-member (and husband) Michael Eisenstein fills Weaponize with the kind of fat, crunchy, tone that used to be the hallmark of Eric “Roscoe” Amble’s production jobs. Weaponized is also packed with catchy tunes, with the “The Wrong Year” probably my initial favorite. Also worth a mention is the expansive “I Guess I Get It,” a slow-burning ballad/rocker that could pass for the best Aimee Mann song since Bachelor No. 2. Even the closing jokey grunge-rap number “Drop a Bomb” is kinda growing on me.

I liked Weaponize so much, I’ve since got a copy of Hanley’s 2005 ep babydoll, and it’s really good, too. I’m left to wonder if I was just in a cruddy mood when I heard Cherry Marmalade.