Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be 50 Essential Albums by LGBTQ Artists, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Considering that the qualifier “LGBTQ” can often be open to various interpretations, for the purposes of this particular list, we have defined an artist as LGBTQ if he, she or they have ever publicly identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer. Moreover, albums by groups have been included in the list if any of their members fit the aforementioned criteria, even if some members do not.
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SLEATER-KINNEY | Dig Me Out
Kill Rock Stars (1997)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Though the Olympia, Washington-bred band had already released two stellar studio LPs in the form of their 1995 self-titled debut and 1996 follow-up effort Call the Doctor, it was 1997’s critically acclaimed headrush of a third album Dig Me Out that garnered substantially more widespread attention from critics and fans alike.
Though five more albums have followed culminating in their most recent project, 2015’s excellent No Cities to Love, and their forthcoming new album set to arrive later this year, Dig Me Out remains the cornerstone of their prolific discography. It was also the first album that featured the group’s longstanding drummer Janet Weiss, who joined forces with founding members Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker after the departure of original drummer Laura Macfarlane.
“Words & guitar, I want it / Way way too loud, I want it,” Tucker belts out on “Words and Guitar,” and I’ve wanted Dig Me Out in my life ever since I heard it for the first time.
LISTEN:
