Le Tigre
From the Desk of Mr. Lady
(Mr. Lady CD)

The most riotous of the riot grrrls, Kathleen Hanna, is back. While Bikini Kill was harsh to say the least, Le Tigre’s lo-fi pop leans more towards brash and is not far from that of Hanna’s alter ego, Julie Ruin. Where there once fumed fury, there are now bubbles of fun. Hanna’s fascination with toy-like instruments is still present, as are her feminist and anti-cop view, and she can still turn on the vocal squelch when she wants.

The opening, humorous, "Get Off the Internet," may be the best female-powered new wave song to come after the demise of the genre, and sounds as if culled from The Waitresses in horn-rimmed glasses and on some questionable X. The bubbly "Gone b4 yr Home" brings Erasure to mind, and the shtick could get a bit annoying if only it weren’t pulled off with such sassy smarts. The following "Mediocrity Rules" is a nod to Hanna’s grating past, put the sonic sandpaper is tempered with a head-bobbing beat, washed-out no-fi vocals and silly Casio-sounding keys. For all of those who thought that all those grrrls could have used a dose or two of fun, say hello to Le Tigre. –Scott D. Lewis

 

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