10 Severely Underrated Grunge Albums

3. L7 - Smell The Magic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z0w-HAvYfw L7 were known for their wild onstage antics and gender-challenging tropes in the music scene. As a band they defied what many thought girl rock bands should be and took it upon themselves to rip their way into the upper echelons of the genre. Spanking Machine laid the sturdy rock groundwork for this process to take place with its no nonsense approach to songwriting. Much of the record revels in sweaty punk-rock blasts like 'Shove' or 'Packing A Rod' and Thin Lizzy turbo-charged head-spinners like '(Right On) Thru' or 'Till The Wheels Come Off', while still pointing to the future sound of the band like the clean but fuzzy production on 'Deathwish'. The group are at their confrontational best when they are barreling forwards into the murky unknown at great speeds, particularly highlighted on the lighting bolt shredder 'Fast And Frightening'. The grunge scene helped pioneer the 'riot grrrl' genre and albums like Smell The Magic are shining beacons not just in that movement, but in the artistic development of female rock bands, period.