Feminist Sweepstakes
OnFeminist Sweepstakes, Le Tigre answer their own implied rhetorical question as to who's winning. Singer Kathleen Hannah (Bikini Kill,Julie Ruin) breaks down barriers between politics and dancing, opening the floodgates for both. Le Tigre are "the band with the roller skate jams," packing their pink satin jackets with more fun and feminism than ever. Switching instruments and vocals, bandmates Johanna Fateman and J.D. Samson argue with drum machines and arm themselves in conversational cutups that signify the future of riot grrrl fallout. Cackling like witches as an overdubbed, screechy heavy metal solo flies overhead on "LT Tour Theme," these ladies have secured their status as artists of the progressive postmodern kind as they sprint through the wilderness of modern feminism and 21st-century punk rock likeXenaon Ecstasy or Gloria Steinem before she did Coach ads. That's because Le Tigre are more articulate than ever, musically and lyrically. Unafraid of experimentation, sampling, and emotional honesty, the band shows once again that the personal is political, and pushes the envelope with both medium and message. Le Tigre tackle the complexities of modern awareness while reveling in the feel of a mid-'70s disco party set somewhere ahead of our time, proving that it's not so hard to dance to--and believe in--the hopes of the future and the legacy of the past at the same time.--Cyndi Elliott