The Mixtape 3/4/09 - This One's For the Ladies

Female vocalists seemingly rule the worlds of mainstream hip-hop and pop music. This very moment, Billboard is populated with songs by Beyonce, Britney, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Pink, Katy Perry, and let's not forget the Pussycat Dolls. Scratch that. Totally forget the Dolls. The point is women currently dominate popular music. Country too. Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are two of the biggest selling artists of any musical genre right now. And barring any kind of Britney-esque meltdown, they have many years of big sales ahead.

This isn't a new phenomenon by any means. Sisters have been doing it for themselves for years. Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin are synonymous with 60's soul. Carole King, Donna Summer, and Barbara Streisand all took different musical paths in the 70s, yet all met with career-defining and record-breaking success. When Madonna wasn't dominating the 80's, she shared the spotlight with Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson. Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, and Alanis Morissette sold enough combined records in the 90s to equal the GNP of some countries.

Women equal big business in the music industry. Things are a bit different in The Mixtape's world though. The ladies of indie-rock are a different breed than present-day pop queens. Their numbers may not be as great as they are this week, but acts like MIA, Santigold, and Rilo Kiley have been making their presence felt the last year. This week, women take over. Spinnerette, essentially former Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle's Whitesnake, and the Karen O-led Yeah Yeah Yeahs both debuted in the top five last week. That's amazing in itself, but even more so considering that the last time two female acts were in the top five together was, well, it's been a reallllly long time. This week, both bands occupy the top two slots on the 'Tape and shouldn't have trouble setting up shop there for the immediate future. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album drops next week and will no doubt be part of many critics' album of the year discussion. The Mixtape's too. Spinnerette may hold the top spot this week, but the YYYs are the biggest, and maybe only, threat to "Ghetto Love's" reign.

Ladies are all over this week's Mixtape. Katie White and the Ting Tings are on the way down after reaching #3 a few weeks back. Architecture In Helsinki's Kellie Sutherland sings about "That Beep" as the song slowly ascends the chart. Tracyanne Campbell's vocals are the heart and soul of Camera Obscura, who is approaching the top ten for the second time with their latest, "My Maudlin Career." The Heartless Bastards, led by the ragged soul of Erika Wennerstrom, see their first action on the 'Tape as does Peaches who debuts at 40 this week with a cover of The Stooges' "Search and Destroy," taken from the recently released War Child Heroes benefit compilation.

1. Ghetto Love / Spinnerette (1 week at #1) iTunes MySpace
2. Zero / Yeah Yeah Yeahs iTunes MySpace
3. The Rake's Song / The Decemberists iTunes MySpace
4. Now We Can See / The Thermals iTunes MySpace
5. My Girls / Animal Collective iTunes MySpace
6. Now I'm a Fool / Eagles of Death Metal iTunes MySpace
7. Sleepyhead / Passion Pit iTunes MySpace
8. Nothing to Worry About / Peter, Bjorn, and John iTunes MySpace
9. Dead and Gone / TI (w/ Justin Timberlake) iTunes MySpace
10. I'm Outta Time / Oasis iTunes MySpace
11. Providence, RI / Nickel Eye iTunes MySpace
12. My Maudlin Career / Camera Obscura iTunes MySpace
13. Perfect Games / The Broken West iTunes MySpace
14. Drugs In My Body / Thieves Like Us iTunes MySpace
15. Language City / Wolf Parade iTunes MySpace
16. Daylight / Matt & Kim iTunes MySpace
17. Airport Surroundings / loney, dear iTunes MySpace
18. That's Not My Name / The Ting Tings iTunes MySpace
19. White Noise Melody / The Whore Moans iTunes MySpace
20. Night Lights / Golden Bear iTunes MySpace
21. Sleeping Sickness / City and Colour iTunes MySpace
22. Seaside / Kestrels iTunes MySpace
23. That Beep / Architecture in Helsinki iTunes MySpace
24. Come Saturday / The Pains of Being Pure at Heart iTunes MySpace
25. Jetstream / Doves iTunes MySpace
26. Stolen Shoes & a Rifle / Blitzen Trapper iTunes MySpace
27. Starting Over / Black Lips iTunes MySpace
28. Wire to Wire / Razorlight iTunes MySpace
29. One Week of Danger / The Virgins iTunes MySpace
30. You've Got Your Friends... / In Endeavors iTunes MySpace
31. Sunlight / Harlem Shakes iTunes MySpace
32. The Mountain / Heartless Bastards iTunes MySpace
33. Nothing Ever Happened / Deerhunter iTunes MySpace
34. Wind Phoenix / Cymbals Eat Guitars iTunes MySpace
35. Now You're Gone / Secret Machines iTunes MySpace
36. Never Trust My Heart / The Points iTunes MySpace
37. Lover's Day / TV on the Radio iTunes MySpace
38. Brother Sport / Animal Collective iTunes Myspace
39. Wrong / Depeche Mode iTunes MySpace
40. Search and Destroy / Peaches iTunes MySpace