Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Mr. Lady
It would be a stretch to call Kathleen Hannah’s tenure as Riot Grrrl princess with Bikini Kill a time of musical invention. Bikini Kill relied on angst, guts, and passion to drive their music. Since the band’s demise, Hannah has shown herself to be far more than just a screamer with politically charged lyrics. With her sublime Julie Ruin project, she created a dense, haunting album with cheap keyboards and primitive sampling techniques. With her new band, Le Tigre, she re-visits her childhood with a collection of tough new wave songs. Kathleen Hannah’s link to Joan Jett has never been more obvious than on this record. Also apparent is an infatuation with the tech-heavy sounds of bands like Missing Persons and the hook-laden songs of the Go-Go’s. Le Tigre is just a part of a larger trend toward re-discovering 80’s music, and realizing that the 1960’s were not the only decade to produce good music, nor the only time worthy of inspiration.
Mr. Lady Records, PO Box 3189, Durham, NC 27715; http://www.mrlady.com
