Le Tigre
The Island
2004
Universal Records
www.letigreworld.com
Damn! Those ladies from Le Tigre know how to throw down a good mix. I'm not one to frequent the discos (especially the ones where the chicks are not interested in my equipment options), but The Island has got me shimmying all over my pad, and making me wish I was a dyke. Kathleen Hanna (formerly of Bikini Kill) never ceases to amaze in her mastery of song writing and crispy lyrical style. With every album (remixes included) Le Tigre has served as a fresh reading of women who seek to question both the notion of sexuality and the perception of male power-by transposing female power in it's place. The Island is certainly no different in its message, and let the Freudians in the audience chuckle at the following homage. Hanna can hardly be thought of as egalitarian in her motives, but she certainly maintains a good façade which can be summed up with: "It's fine if you want to party with us dude, but don't try to take it any further". Quite honestly, I'd be honored to party with Le Tigre, but don't think I'd be able to keep up. On "Call me after dark" Hanna croons blissfully in the wind up to the chorus and then unleashes her sirens call with all of the force of a shot gun fired at close range. JD's drumming only intensifies the blast, and by the end of the track you're panting and gazing longingly at your mobile, hoping in vain that it will ring. Other tracks like "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" takes some leads from early hip-hop and taunt the listener to the point where it becomes obvious that Hanna and Co. don't really care what you think, or if you're even there. These are the hooks that leave the men in the crowd panting and the ladies blissfully wet with the knowledge that the songs are written for them with comprehension that only women together can share. To cap this perfect package Le Tigre adds "Punker Plus" in at the end as a final sonic thrust. Again, the hip-hop/trip-hop and disco-trash influences are prevalent and lend themselves to "sexing" the listener up to the point, where getting all "hot-n-bothered" is an understatement. Alas, by the end of The Island all you can do to continue the delirium is to hit "repeat", adjust your jeans, pad the sweat from your forehead, and hit the dance floor for more of Le Tigre's fantastically good stuff.
-John Southern