MALCS Listjefa Nicole Guidotti-Hernandez recently webpublished this review essay at Ms.Magazine:
The impact of homegrown, San Antonio-based, all-woman band Girl in a Coma stretches far beyond the borders of Texas. Its fourth album Exits and All the Rest, recently named to NPR’s 50 best of 2011, shows the band’s range of talents–from the Morrissey-inspired “Smart†to the rough-edged anthem:
Phanie Diaz, Nina Diaz and Jenn Alva bring renewed vitality and political charge to what have historically been labeled “girl bands.â€
Don’t let their name fool you: GIAC is wide awake (their name is based on the song “Girlfriend in a Coma†from the Morrissey-led British band The Smiths), and its bluesy, rock sound gains tremendous force from Nina Diaz’s distinct vocals. These women are the real thing–and that’s probably why rock pioneer Joan Jett signed them to her Blackheart Records in 2006. “Joan really understands where we are coming from,†Phanie Diaz tells the Ms. Blog…..