Title: Feminist Sweepstakes
Artist: Le Tigre

by Nicholas Sabin

At present, I have more than 2,200 mp3s on the hard drive of my computer. According to iTunes, that's seven days, one hour, sixteen minutes, and forty-six seconds worth of song. If you were to look at the list detailing the 50 most-played songs on my computer, two of the top three (and five of the top fifty) are from the band Le Tigre.

Self-described as an "electronic feminist punk" band, Le Tigre is composed of three women: Kathleen Hanna (formerly of the seminal riot-grrl band Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman, and JD Samson. Together, they weave a uniquely bizarre mixture of guitar, keyboard, and drum machine skills that evoke both the immediacy of original riot-grrl punk and new-wave dance music. It's the kind of music that you can dance to while being pissed off at the Man, not to mention that it is one of the most inherently catchy records I've ever listened to.

Lyrically, this album provides the listener with many feminist anthems ("For the ladies, and the fags, yeah, we're the band with the roller skate jams," Hanna chants on the opening track, "LT Tour Theme"), as well as pointed critiques of gender politics ("Can we trade Title Nine for an end to hate crime? RU-486 if we suck your fuckin' dick?" on the jagged, uptempo "F.Y.R.") and women's rallies put to music ("Dyke March 2001" in the literal, and "Keep On Livin'" in the abstract). On one hand, this is very potent - it's very rare to find a record with honest and sincere political commentary (and no, Rage Against the Machine doesn't count) that isn't immediately a didactic piece of art. On the other hand, however, the strength of that sentiment may be enough to completely repel any male listeners ("Well, I guess you're the judge, well, I guess you're the king of the forever beauty pageant I'm always in" is the accusation laid forth in "On Guard"). Initially, I was very torn between thinking that the album was absolutely incredible and feeling very alienated by the way in which gender issues are brought to the forefront. This is not to say that Le Tigre shouldn't be saying the things they do - doing so would completely ruin the music - but that the vehemence they say them in is rather intimidating.

When listening to this record, it's important to note that flowery language and precious sentiment are left at the door - the words are straightforward and to the point, and the songs are quick (nearly half the tracks clock in at less than three minutes, and only two last longer than four minutes). This album is not some kind of sweet morsel to chew on while curling up on an overstuffed sofa - instead, it's something I wouldn't be surprised hearing blasted at an abortion rally in Washington. Le Tigre are a band who speak to the nature of the angry, the disaffected, and the frustrated, and I get the feeling they will not be ignored.