October 16, 2001 by A.S. Van Dorston

Memorable, hard-hitting albums by women-led bands are still far enough between that I can rattle off a pretty representative roll-call from the top of my head — The Slits, X-Ray Spex, The Raincoats, Liliput, Essential Logic, Au Pairs, Crass (when Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre took the reigns for 1981’s Penis Envy), Babes In Toyland, Slant 6, Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, Sleater-Kinney — all of whom produced groundbreaking albums that mixed personal, sexual and gender politics with varied doses of post-punk outrage and glee. With Le Tigre’s latest, it is obvious that they belong in this pantheon along with Kathleen Hanna’s previous band Bikini Kill. In a time when just about the entire pop landscape is dishearteningly apolitical, and many women absurdly denounce the ideals of feminism, the boldly titled Feminist Sweepstakes proves that Hanna is comfortable with her role as the original figurehead of the often maligned Riot Grrrl movement. But rather than indulge in the past, Le Tigre are more interested in paving a road for future musicians inspired by Riot Grrrl and queercore alongside contemporaries The Need, The Butchies, Peaches and Chicks On Speed.

Since their 1999 self-titled debut, JD Samson replaced filmmaker Sadie Benning, and they have dug further into their dance roots. Like 1999 albums by Beck and Clinton (Cornershop’s side project), Le Tigre have been inspired by primitive electro-funk. Feminist Sweepstakes mixes the new wave-meets-disco of Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” with the electro-dance mixology of Liquid Liquid, ESG and B-52’s, like a rawer Cibo Matto. Le Tigre has achieved the rare feat of making an album that’s simultaneously important, and great party music. Boys and girls alike will wanna dance to this revolution rock. “LT Tour Theme” starts things off by asking “the ladies and the fags . . . Won’t you dance some more?” “Shred A” features a buzzsaw guitar lead by a guy they randomly pulled from a guitar store, and a thudding drum machine. “Fake French” shimmies and shakes like King Kong (the band) meets “Rapture” and The B-52’s, with witty boast rhymes — “I’ve got – site specificity . . . plan ‘B’ ability . . . extensive bibliographies . . . flow disruption . . . wildlife metaphors . . . post-binary gender chores/I’ve got to move.” “F.Y.R.” appropriates the phrase “Fifty Years of Ridicule” from 70s feminist Shulasmith Firestone’s The Dialectics Of Sex. It’s a blast of anger at the lack of progress the world has actually made in giving women due respect (“Ten short years of progressive change/50 fucking years of calling us names). They announce a roll call — “Feminists we’re calling you/Please report to the front desk/Let’s name this phenomenon/It’s too dumb to bring us down.” “On Guard” continues the rage against misogyny as Hanna progressively raises the urgency of her shouted vocals towards men who comment on her body and sexuality. “On the racing “My Art,” Hanna unleashes a powerful wail that rivals Poly Styrene during her seminal tenure with X-Ray Spex.

Catchy and poignant, disposable yet classic, too unpolished and truly punk to reach mass acceptance, Le Tigre are destined to be under-appreciated legends. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have tremendous impact. Like the original Velvet Underground albums that inspired all 500 people who heard them to form bands, Le Tigre just might spark the next post-Riot Grrrl music revolution.

Posted in: New Album(s) of the Week, Reviews