Contractions

  • Contractions
  • Something Broke (Trotter) 1984 

San Francisco’s Contractions (originally from Austin, Texas) were a marvelous, criminally underrated female trio with great material (all three wrote and sang), solid playing and a unique earthy sound somewhere to the left of pop. Although the album could have been sequenced and mastered better, its ten numbers are varied, original, engaging and memorable. Unlike almost all other bands composed exclusively of women, the Contractions totally downplay gender issues — they’re neither overtly feminist, sex-image-oriented or selfconscious, finding the ideal out by simply being an excellent rock band. (Also of interest: the album was produced by one of very few women in the field, Lisa Wexler.)

[Ira Robbins]