"Through 8 albums over 10 years, Mecca Normal have
presented a consistent, evolving, and luminous challenge to the reigning social
order."
-- Rolling Stone
"When the mix is between brainy lyrics and a meaty
beat, between mind and body, pleasure and awareness, that’s when Mecca Normal revs
up. Like Odysseus, they have a clarity of vision that’s rare."
-- Village Voice
"Long before Bikini Kill, the Northwest band Mecca
Normal was churning out shards of minimal noise (no bass or drums) with a confrontational
edge, and would eventually end up influencing many of Olympia’s current female
artists."
-- Los Angeles Times
"Oh, what a lovely sparse sound"
-- NME
"Smith is damn near visionary"
-- San Francisco Weekly
"Smith creates an approximation of a childhood game.
The imaginary egg is cracked and the yolk is running slowly down your hair."
-- Spin magazine
"David Lester and Jean Smith generate huge power with
limited means."
-- Select Magazine (England)
"Mecca Normal has inspired a larger movement of
feminists in their teens and early 20’s who call themselves Riot Grrrls."
-- New York Times
"Female punk rock fans become united by the feminist
messages shouted by bands such as Mecca Normal."
-- USA Today
"I can’t think of anyone else who writes more
powerful songs about what it’s like to be a woman in a world of violence against
women."
-- Los Angeles Weekly
"Smith is angry with an evil world."
-- Der Spiegel (Germany)
"A two-person guerrilla campaign against apathy."
-- Melody Maker (England)
"More unsettling than four Ministry fans with a rack
of samplers could ever be."
-- Kerrang (England)
"...stark and breathtaking."
-- Pulse (Tower Records)
"Forget Rancid, Offspring and Green Day. Forget the
Sex Pistols. The most important punk band of the 90’s is Mecca Normal."
-- Sacramento News & Review
"Who Shot Elvis? simmers with captivating parables
that knowingly portray regular folks and their deepest passions."
-- Raygun Magazine
"Neither Smith nor Lester has gone soft, yet the new
"Who Shot Elvis?" is quieter and more nuanced."
-- Washington Post
"Without a doubt Who Shot Elvis? is my choice
for best record of 1997."
-- Lois Maffeo, The Stranger
