Excuse 17 Discography of CDs

Excuse 17 made it perfectly clear that the band was inspired by the rabble rousers in Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy, and sure enough, those groups' influences show up all over the Olympia, WA, trio's first full-length. Which isn't to say that the album's 11 jagged 'n' ragged tracks are little but riot grrrl ripoffs. On the contrary, the defiantly unpolished Excuse 17 is an impressive debut, surging forward with a live-wire energy and stark honesty that helped make the riot grrrl scene so compelling in the first place. And though the album can sound tinny and dated at times, tracks like "Carson" and "Imaginary Friend" -- as well as the emotionally resonant "Hope You Feel Bad" and "Code Red" -- have wonderfully withstood the test of time. ...

Excuse 17 music CDs For its second and final full-length, Excuse 17 recorded a glorious punk rock racket far more polished and catchier than the band's promising, self-titled debut. Nearly every track here simmers with an overwhelming sense of urgency, and from the opening whiplash crash of "5 Acres" to the more subtly moving "She Wants 3-D," it's an album full of violently emotional catharsis (check out the startling centerpieces "This Is Not Your Wedding Song" and "The Drop Dead Look"). Often mesmerizing in the chaotic call and response between vocalists Carrie Brownstein and Becca Albee -- a rudimentary version of Brownstein's vocal interplay with Corin Tucker in Sleater-Kinney during the years to come -- Such Friends Are Dangerous is a swan song that only hints at what could've followed. Of course, as many fans of the Pacific Northwest scene know, what would follow for guitarist Brownstein is the wildly successful and talented Sleater-Kinney trio. ~ Jimmy Draper Live Recording All songs written by Excuse 17. Excuse 17: Becca Albee, Carrie (guitar, vocals), C.J. Phillips (drums).