Hearing Sexism - Gender in the Sound of Popular Music. A Feminist Approach

If pictures can be sexist, can analyzing sound reveal sexism, too? Where is the language to discuss sexism in music? LJ Müller tackles these important questions in their 2018 German book titled Sound und Sexismus, which was awarded the IASPM 2019 book prize. Analyzing the voices of Kurt Cobain, Kate Bush, Björk and others, Müller demonstrates how gender is performed vocally and interacts with gendered aspects of embodiment and affect. The book is written from a strongly positioned and personal feminist perspective and is appealing to readers from various backgrounds - singers, producers, music lovers, as well as academics and anyone with an interest in feminist takes on pop culture.

About the author

LJ Müller (they/them) studied musicology and cultural studies at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and works on their Phd. Their first book »Sound und Sexismus« published in 2018 by Marta Press was awarded the 2019 book prize of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM). Müller works on topics of voices, gender, sound, popular music and affect.Manu Reyes (they/them) studied popular music and arts, culture and media at the University of Groningen. They work on topics of sound, gender, queer theory and critical theory. Their work has been presented at international and German conferences.

Summary

If pictures can be sexist, can analyzing sound reveal sexism, too? Where is the language to discuss sexism in music? LJ Müller tackles these important questions in their 2018 German book titled Sound und Sexismus, which was awarded the IASPM 2019 book prize. Analyzing the voices of Kurt Cobain, Kate Bush, Björk and others, Müller demonstrates how gender is performed vocally and interacts with gendered aspects of embodiment and affect. The book is written from a strongly positioned and personal feminist perspective and is appealing to readers from various backgrounds – singers, producers, music lovers, as well as academics and anyone with an interest in feminist takes on pop culture.

Additional text

Besprochen in:OX Fanzine, 6 (2022), Joachim Hiller

Report

Besprochen in: OX Fanzine, 6 (2022), Joachim Hiller

Product details

• Authors: L J Müller, L. J. Müller, LJ Müller
• Assisted by: Manu Reyes (Editor), Manu Reyes (Translation), Manu Reyes (Translation)
• Publisher: Transcript
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.08.2022
• EAN: 9783837658514
• ISBN: 978-3-8376-5851-4
• No. of pages: 208
• Dimensions: 148 mm x 17 mm x 227 mm
• Weight: 330 g
• Illustrations: Dispersionsbindung
• Series: Studien zur Popularmusik
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Music > General, dictionaries; Musik, Unterhaltungsmusik, Popmusik, Gender Studies, Gender, Music, Media Studies, Popular Culture, Sound, Theory of art, Musicology, Gender Studies: Gruppen, Social interaction, Social & cultural history, Social Sciences, auseinandersetzen, Pop Music, Sociology: sexual relations, Gay & Lesbian studies, Sociology and anthropology, Western "classical" music, Culture and institutions, Groups of people, General principles and musical forms