Le Tigre – This Island
(Universal/Strummer)

About 5 years ago when Kathleen Hanna decided to break her post-Bikini Kill silence and start another politically-charged all-female band, Le Tigre were on the cutting edge of cool. They were among the first to kickstart the electro-clash trend, taking punk rock aesthetics and incorporating bits and pieces of electronics and multimedia performance art to make a style that was both retro and fresh. Since then, the band has been through a line-up change and grown in popularity, but continued to incorporate their feminist views into the music.

The mainstream was slow to catch on to what these girls were doing, and only now after much persistence has Universal/Strummer Recordings finally brought them on board for their major label debut. So is the timing right or are they already past their prime? Their last full-length album “Feminist Sweepstakes”, although still as political and vibrant as ever, seemed musically flat and had many fans worried that they would not be able to create the infectious hooks found on their self-titled album twice. Co-produced by Nichoas Sansano (Sonic Youth, Public Enemy, Ice Cube), “This Island” is Le Tigre’s attempt to keep the dance-floor sensibility alive without sacrificing their message. For the most part, it is a return to form and a step back in the right direction, but the fact remains that very few of these songs can match the catchiness and anthemic power found on their first record.

Songs like “On The Verge”, “TKO” and “After Dark” are examples of Le Tigre back at the top of their game; the fuzzed-out guitars, stripped-down drum machine loops, swirling synths and electrified choruses will get just about any party off on the right foot. “Seconds”, on the other hand, harkens back to Kathleen Hanna’s Bikini Kill days as she fumes over George W. Bush, vehemently exclaiming “You make me sick, sick, sick!” over and over again.

“New Kicks” is another anti-Bush track on the album, this one consisting of samples from a peace rally that the band participated in. As a political statement and the subject for a music video, the song does its job admirably. However, as a commercial single and an attempted new dance club hit, the song is a terrible choice and has no hooks to speak of.

A large percentage of “This Island” contains mainly chilled-out electronic songs with the band members trading off lyrics in a laidback talk/rap style. Sometimes this works, as in the song “Nanny Nanny Boo Boo”, which recalls the style of “What’s Yr Take On Cassavetes?”, or “Viz” a song about acceptance and visibility of butch lesbianism. Other times, the results are less interesting and contain little value other than the clever and confrontational lyrics.

Perhaps the most confusing track is the band’s cover of the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited”. Despite its role as a live opener for the band over the past year, it seems tacked onto the album merely to add some pop appeal and make up for the more bland songs.

The idea of Le Tigre on a major label is something that will take some getting used to. If “This Island” is any indication, the corporate system has not tainted their sound or their vision and they continue to write fun songs with that are focused on feminist and gay issues. However, the fact that the song “Deceptacon” from their first album is now being heard in Telus commercials makes it clear that their first album is still their strongest and most essential work to date. If they are going to attract a larger following and keep people interested next time around they will need to focus a little less on their politics and kick the songwriting up a notch instead. — Sean