list of involuntary reactions to the new le tigre 'single'

Hopefully they both kill each other. I used to harbor a good deal of respect for Kathleen, but alas, Le Tigre is Teh Suck indeed.

It's tempting to tell emo boys to take a hint.

and anthony, if you can find a hook in this song's swamp of slogans and garbage, more power to you. me, i'm not so inclined to be soft on something just to be 'contrarian'

umm, are you saying I am?

fuckin' hell.

"PEACE."

Best case for "selling out" = "sucking" ever.

I still think the Julie Ruin album is fantastic.

Also FOR THE RECORD another listen shows that this song is, um, really really embarrassing. It's like they listened to On-U Sound System and said, "You know what would really make this style great? MAKING IT SUCK LIKE VACUUM!"

I am all for facile sloganeering but this doesn't work for me (largely because it is shit). Following it up with Limited Warranty's "The Man In The Can" is giving me great pleasure, though.

Also Consolidated had much better beats what with the Jack Dangers influence.

the only thing that lends his opinion any interest here is that fact that it's contrary to the general tone of the thread. but the actual reasoning behind it is pathetic: politics and aesthetics are inextricable; the song opposed u.s. entry into a war that momus rightly opposed as well; hence, it is a good song. i don't think he would brave this "logic" elsewhere would it not have allowed for a "controversial" opinion.

women be shopping

One thing I'll say for this piece of garbage, it makes Ministry sound as hard as they did in 1989. "Thieves" and "Burning Inside" are real palette-cleansers.

WE ARE LENE LOVICH UND NEEEEEEEENNA XXXXHHHHAAGEN

AND WE ASK YOU TO...

DON'T KEEL THE ANEEMALZ
DON'T KEEL THE ANEEMALZ
THE ANEEMALZ ARE FREE
FREEEEE, FREEEEE, FREEEEE, FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

And this album cover is pretty classic:

This is what democracy looks like; this is what democracy sounds like!

On February 15, 2003, Le Tigre members JD Samson, Johanna Fateman and Kathleen Hanna joined hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in chanting this refrain to protest the impending US war on Iraq. Though it was a massive march, one that mirrored hundreds of others around the world that day, it ended up barely a soundbite in the news later that evening. But J.D. captured it all on her mini-disc recorder, and the refrain became the rallying cry on "New Kicks," the first single off of Le Tigre's major-label debut, This Island.

"New Kicks" is constructed from samples of dissenting voices at that rally, layered over jagged guitar riffs and a kick-up-your-heels drumbeat. It's a buoyant exercise in radical documentation, a tribute to resistance, and a reflection of Le Tigre's deep convictions that it's within their artistic scope to hold policy-makers--and the media interests that represents them--accountable for their actions.

The idea of democratic process speaks volumes about how Le Tigre work together, and why it is so difficult to ascribe fixed roles to the band-mates. They work on every track as a team, picking out samples, making beats, adding keyboard lines, guitar parts, and vocals, passing their hard-drives back and forth. JD explains, "After our 2002 summer tour, we each got identical Protools setups for our apartments. We became totally compatible, able to pick up where the other left off in the song-writing process." Adds Kathleen, "This time we had so much more control, so many more options because we were able to do non-linear editing in our home studios – it was like going from a typewriter to a computer."

Le Tigre co-produced This Island with Nicholas Sansano, renowned for his studio work with Sonic Youth and Public Enemy, and the band says he was instrumental in tailoring much of This Island for the dancefloor. But Le Tigre still write all of their material and each is a innovative producer in her own right. "I think just 'cuz we're women, people tend to think that somebody else is writing all our songs. But we do it all ourselves. We don’t have The Matrix over here, or a team of male DJs making our beats for us," says Kathleen.

The result of Le Tigre's collaboration is a deliriously addictive, hybrid sound the band calls "feminist punk electronic music." It's a mix of drum-machine samples, synth hooks, buzzing guitar loops, gang vocals, and foolproof bass-lines. "TKO" and "After Dark" -- which will be released as the first radio singles off the album -- are the irresistibly danceable, anthemic tracks with thought-provoking lyrics that fans worldwide have come to expect from the band. But this time Le Tigre's signature style has been taken to the next level -- their underground aesthetics are thrown into relief by a strategic pop sheen, and the sonic richness of This Island matches the band’s ambition to, as Kathleen says, "make our message something you can feel in your body."

Those who recall Hanna, and her former band Bikini Kill, as an influential voice in the early '90s feminist punk-rock riot grrrl movement, won't be surprised that songs like "New Kicks" and the hair-raising anti-Bush screed "Seconds" are blistering indictments of the current administration. But what may raise eyebrows is how deep This Island delves into the personal lives of the band members such as the hauntingly beautiful "Tell You Now," (produced by the legendary Cars frontman Ric Ocasek) and "Don't Drink Poison," which pairs a sped-up guitar riff and frenetic beat to a "story about feminist espionage." Johanna explains that the lyrics refer to " the coded way we communicate with each other, and how we survive together as a band through bizarre and alienating situations. " There is also "Viz" (an abbreviation for "visibility") which is both an intimate narration of J.D.'s experience as a butch in the public eye, and a hooky club track celebrating lesbian cultural presence and queer community.

Le Tigre's roots go all the way back to a Bikini Kill show in Portland, Oregon: Johanna, in the audience, was impressed and intrigued, and approached Kathleen to give her a copy of her feminist art zine, Snarla. The two became fast friends, and when Kathleen moved to New York soon after producing her first solo venture, Julie Ruin, she asked to Johanna to help her produce it for the stage. The two ended up writing new songs altogether, along with their friend video-maker Sadie Benning. Shortly after the release of Le Tigre's self-titled debut, Sadie left the band to pursue her art career, and JD Samson, formerly a technician/roadie with the band, became a full-fledged member of Le Tigre.

Since then, they have released the EP From the Desk of Mr. Lady, the album Feminist Sweepstakes, and a collection of remixes. And while Le Tigre has garnered much praise for their catchy and risk-taking recordings, their electrifying stage show has won them a loyal and passionate following. With video accompaniment, choreography, and matching outfits they show their commitment to "putting on a show," and have established themselves as an unmatched live phenomenon. Le Tigre has toured extensively -- in the United States, Europe, and Japan -- and most recently performed at this past April's Coachella, the alternative music festival in the Southern California desert.

But Johanna holds firm that while Le Tigre has grown -- they are poised for the release of their most musically sophisticated record yet on the major label Strummer/Universal -- the band's values have not changed. They are keeping one foot firmly planted in the underground, evidenced by the launch of their own independent label, Le Tigre Records, on which they will re-release their entire back catalog. Says Johanna, "Our D.I.Y. background and our history with Mr. Lady, which was a small, radical-feminist lesbian label, is a really important part of who we are today. Without that history we wouldn't have the confidence and ambition to seek a wider audience."

"We want to kick the door open for more radical art to be better funded, and we want to have a greater influence on culture as a whole," she continues. To that end, each band member is involved in other projects and has strong ties to an overlapping feminist/art/music scene. Kathleen recently wrote the preface to Scheherazade, an all-women's comic book anthology edited by Megan Kelso, and curated a gallery show of work by conceptual photographer Tammy Rae Carland; Johanna co-wrote a catalog essay for the 2004 Whitney biennial; J.D. created a lesbian calendar in collaboration with photographer Cass Bird, and is also in a band called the New England Roses.

With pivotal issues like gay marriage, the right to choose, and a seemingly irresolvable war all coming to a head right now, Kathleen says, "It's incredibly important for us to have a presence in pop culture right now. JD adds, "We're excited to challenge mainstream media–I think people are ready for it."

hmmm

On 2 listens, it sounds like a punky Solex being produced by Ladytron.

But hell yeah, talk about lack of subtlety and humour.

Ned OTM:
This should be the opening credit theme for the world's worst Afterschool Special.

"frequently leaves you feeling like you're being harangued by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's right-on classmate" = "I can no longer be bothered to make any effort to hide my hatred of young women"

Should I see the Julie Ruin tonight?

The Hit Reset album has gotten some good reviews, but I haven't listened to it yet

Gig is sold out tonight. Will check the album out on Spotify and look for live videos. Pitchfork, Spin and Ann Powers (for NPR) rank it highly, but will see for myself.