Okay - here’s one obvious example (and there are many) just after David Bowie died, I was frustrated I couldn’t seem to find any music writing that gave another (less male) view of Bowie and brought a different perspective to the men only hagiography fest. Which then prompted me to wonder whether I was looking in the wrong places. Maybe expecting Rolling Stone, Mojo, Uncut and the mainstream media to revolutionise their commissioning processes is the kind of dim thinking that frustrated me in the first place. Was looking beyond the usual suspects with their fortified glass ceilings the only way? This Woman’s Work along with recent books by Adelle Stripe, Vivienne Goldman, Stephanie Phillips, Viv Albertine and Cosey Fanni Tutti, for instance, proves that looking beyond the traditional music press is vital when it comes to the best kind of music writing. Quite simply, books are where it’s at, demonstrating that enlightened editors and bright publishing houses are at the forefront of giving women a voice which for so long has been at best stymied, at worst ignored. I hope so. The other great thing about This Woman’s Work is that the inclusion of writers like Ottessa Moshfegh, Rachel Kushner, Simone White and Anne Enright (among others) also puts to the sword the old canard that there aren’t enough ‘female critics’ or women writers around to write about music. This Woman’s Work is a beautifully eclectic, engaging and exciting selection of music writing that should be on every music lover’s shelf as an example of how great music writing can be. Totally recommended.

This Woman’s Work (Essays on Music) – Edited by Sinead Gleeson and Kim Gordon - publ. White Rabbit - £9.99

Steven Long