Le Tigre purrs and roars: with an accessible and energetic major-label debut, the feminist trio seems poised for--gasp!--mainstream success.This Island * Le Tigre * Strummer/Le Tigre/Universal It's hard to resist taking a side in the "Are they selling out or aren't they?" debate that has arisen over pro-queer feminist electro-punk band Le Tigre's decision to sign to a major label last spring. But firings aren't so black-and-white in Le Tigre land, and to pursue such an argument wouldn't honor what this band is about and why, ultimately, it is so relevant in today's pop music landscape. On this fifth release, the New York City-based trio's members--Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and JD Samson--are on a mission to subvert the indie versus major label dichotomy: They've cleverly attempted to remain faithful to their underground following--offering more of their typically outspoken, politically and emotionally charged DIY DIY abbr. do-it-yourself DIY or d.i.y. Brit, Austral & NZ do-it-yourself DIY abbr DIY do it yourself a DIY shop/job. danceable punk--and at the same time offer a slicker, more dance floor-accessible (even radiofriendly) sound for mainsteam ears, all in one 13-track album. Cuts like the bouncy DIY ode "On the Verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. " and the anti Bush screamfest "Seconds" will please their core indie-hipster audience, while the campy reggae-tinged electropop cover of rite Pointer Sisters' '80s jam "I'm So Excited" and the singsong sing·song n. 1. Verse characterized by mechanical regularity of rhythm and rhyme. 2. A monotonously rising and falling inflection of the voice. adj. Monotonous in vocal inflection or rhythm. refrain of the rap-dance-pop number "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" might hook listeners hearing them for the first time. The remix-worthy antiwar samplefest "New Kicks" will remind fans of "Dyke March 2001" from Feminist Sweepstakes, while the trip-hopper "Sixteen" showcases the band--and Hanna, vocally--in a sexy new downbeat down·beat n. 1. Music a. The downward stroke made by a conductor to indicate the first beat of a measure. b. The first beat of a measure. 2. Informal A period of stagnation or inactivity. light. The queer highlight of the disc epitomizes their effort to straddle In the stock and commodity markets, a strategy in options contracts consisting of an equal number of put options and call options on the same underlying share, index, or commodity future. both worlds: the butch-lesbian identity narrative "Viz" (short for "visibility"), which couples bolish out dyke Samson's musings about her "pees" and "'stache" with a candy-coated confection con·fec·tion n. A sweetened medicinal compound. Also called electuary. of slick processed vocals, synths, and drum beats. While Le Tigre is probably not going to be the next circuit party or Top 40 sensation, This Island does reach a hand out beyond the band's underground comfort zone. It's all part of the Le Tigre master plan--and somehow it works, resulting in the group's most listenable lis·ten·a·ble adj. Being such that listening is pleasurable: an undistinguished but listenable soundtrack. lis album project to date. Coble writes the column Stereo Homo. |
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