The Slash Years

The Slash Years is a best-of drawn from three albums L7 recorded for Slash records between '92-'97. Of the three, the material from the first, Butch Vig-produced Bricks Are Heavy, including early hit 'Pretend We're Dead', is probably the best, largely because of its simplicity and lack of pretension.

On their second album, things start to get fairly stodgy, from the blunt irritant of 'Andres' to numerous songs which reveal a morbid and constant fear of being attacked by men ('Freak Magnet', 'Can I Run'). Honest sentiments, perhaps, even if not what you'd expect from a rough and ready female rock band.

Things pick up again with the third album, The Beauty Process - Triple Platinum, which is more feel-good, with songs such as 'Off the Wagon' dedicated to rampant hedonism.

The band show a bit more musical progression on these later tracks; they seem to have a better sense of the dynamics between their instruments, evident on the ringing guitar notes which bring that little extra something to the party on 'Moonshine'.

Overall, L7 come across as little more than cliched rock chicks who are let down by their lack of depth.