Heavens to Betsy

Corin Tucker is too self-aware about how "f*cked up" she is to take her own rage at face value. But because she's also convinced that "everything is f*cked up," she's sure her rage is here to stay, something she and the world will have to deal with, thus obliging her to imbue it with intelligible form. Lyrics are crucial--her counterattacks on sexual predators are variously voiced and passionately felt, and "Waitress Hell" should raise tips all over Grrrlland. But the clincher is the noise she and her guitar make along with bassist-drummer Tracy Sawyer--controlled, fierce, a deliberate, powerful punk derivative that's built for discomfort, not for speed. (Grade: A-)