Le Tigre
Le Tigre
1999
Album Summary
Le Tigre is the debut studio album of American music trio Le Tigre. It was released October 25, 1999 on Mr. Lady Records. The album combined pop music with the band's feminist political lyrics. It received positive reviews from music critics.
WikipediaAnother punk/pop punk/post-punk band that I've only ever heard of and never really given a chance. Le Tigre come out of the blocks swinging and don't let up until they've left a trail of destruction in their wake. They've got a Rudy Giuliani protest song that's relevant 21 years later. Best track: Deceptacon
This sounds like it's the best album from a decade that doesn't exist. It's a weird amalgam of 60s, 80s and punk. If you described this to me in any way, it would be all the things I hate about music. And I fucking love it! This should have been much more of a thing, it should have been emulated, started a trend. How did it not?
I was expecting punk screaming but this was a really fun album to listen. A good mix of punk and rock with a bit of electronic. Good for a morning jog!
Le Tigre seems a bit lazy on purpose. I appreciate the punk vibe they are apparently going for, but I always thought specifically of "Hot Topic" as a pop-culture store that tries-hard to be a punk-culture store, and by try-hard I don't mean the good kind. I think it's cool that the band pushes for feminism. But I think they push a bit too much, making it their identity instead of just part of who they are. I think if I had heard this album when I was a teenager I would have liked it a lot more than I do today. Now they sound like an audio STD, and I don't want to hang out with the band. I give it 2/5.
A forgettable, boring ass record from a late to the party girl punk group that brought exactly nothing new or entertaining. 1/5
Cool, fun, bouncy, brief, lo-fi smash. Girls with guitars - can’t go wrong.
Brief story: prior to today, my only exposure to Le Tigre was this godawful song they released through Pitchfork in 2016, in support of Hillary Clinton, called "I'm With Her." I saw it then, and rewatched it today, and both times I've felt like it's possibly the worst piece of art ever created. May have singlehandedly given the election to Trump, just unbelievably embarrassing stuff. What's more punk rock than campaigning for a Clinton? The video is on youtube, with comments disabled (and dislikes don't exist anymore), but you can bet your ass this thing was lampooned to oblivion. So with that as the backdrop, I was gleefully bracing myself for a prequel, bracing for the worst punk shit I've ever heard. But damn, this album's actually really fun. Some really cool, engaging instrumentals, the lyrics are outraged, outrageous, and political in a way that's, at least for me, tongue in cheek and obviously more genuine than anything having to do with Hillary Clinton. "Deceptacon" is a drop dead classic man, I swear I've heard that before. If it's not canonized, it should be. The "what's your take on Cassavetes" track is seriously funny, I don't know if they're expecting us to take this seriously but I had a good time laughing with these songs. "Dude Yr so Crazy" too, just a list of buzzwords, it's so funny. Again, based on the atrocity that they committed in 2016, I'm afraid they may be genuine in all of this, which may work to their detriment. Otherwise, they're in on the joke on this album, and they purposely made the worst song of all time to secretly throw the election for Trump? I'm getting brainworms, ignore me. Great album though. Favorite tracks: Deceptacon, What's Yr Take on Cassavetes, Slideshow at Free University, Dude Yr so Crazy. Album art: I honestly love this one. Bright, popping colors. Headshots on the side like they were printed from a photobooth, and the lo-fi homemade look is certainly fitting. Really fantastic cover. 4/5
Great opening track, cool fuzz guitars, like the vocal delivery, lots of interesting sounds and noises worked in to the music, but... pretty repetitive, most songs plod along but don't really go anywhere. Happy to listen to the odd track here and there, but can't imagine ever going back for a full album. (2.7)
Samples, punk, drum machines, women's lib. A few catchy songs. Reminds me of a poor man's Stereolab at times.
The rousing party music of the trio may evoke Sixties' girl-groups, with punchy guitars and dance beats, but in Hannah's mouth it becomes a channel for hard-line feminist ideology. On the surface one hears folk-rock, Motown soul, but each song is a terrible story that leaves deep scars. (6/10) Favourite Track: Deceptacon
Tar mig näppeligen igenom den första halvan av skivan där Deceptaton är det enda som håller mig kvar underhållningsmässigt. De senare spåren på skivan tonar ner det artsy-tonårsrevolt-skrik-härjandet och stämningen övergår till något mer mellow och suggestivt där Beck-inspirerarde Friendship station och Beastie Boys doftande (utan rappen) Slideshow at Free University sticker ut och får mig att lyssna klart till slutet. Vad tar jag då med mig av de här intensiva 34 min. Jo, att den energidrypande fuck you pekande Deceptacon alltid och då menar jag ALLTID kommer vara ett uppskattat inslag under löppasset eller som den avslutande låten på en lyckad förfest
Great lo fi punk. Loved it and hearing the folks influenced by it through them
This shit is great. I know I keep giving five stars but this album deserves it too! Its a lot of fun. Great for silly dancing.
the raw weirdness of this electronic rock is super refreshing. “Deceptacon” is such a strong start but I wanted to hear MORE like it. something was missing - I loved it though. I feel like it had some 60s pop & early 80s Brit rock influences wrapped with a modern American sound which was cooollll. the songs were janky but it worked with sometimes simple lyrics paired with rough guitar. very good 😈
That was so under the radar. I listened to it twice in a row. Gotta be 5 stars
Electronic Punk Rock with a message. Great album. I am going to be listening to again and again
this is definitely a perfect punk album for me, it just hits everything flawlessly the production is amazing with all the electronic drums and weird samples Kathleen’s singing and vocals are fucking perfect in every song the writing is also really cool and can get pretty meta and with so many weird, amazing songs like the hilariously literal What’s Yr Take on Cassavetes or the groovy, spoken-word-sample Slideshow at Free University it’s got perfect songs for if you just wanna fuck shit up, like Deceptacon or The the Empty and it’s got perfect songs for if you just wanna vibe out, like Les and Ray or Eau D’bedroom Dancing I don’t have a single issue with this perfect, perfect, punk, new wave, feminist masterpiece - this is an 11 out of 10 I gotta check out Kathleen Hanna’s other stuff
Ktebt 6 Saf7at Men 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky, I'm Getting Better. More Opportunities Every Day, Nchallah Romdhan Moubarek
I had received the song “Deceptacon” on a mixtape from a friend in the early 2000s and really liked it. I should have taken the cue to investigate Le Tigre further! This album kicks ass and sounds great doing it! References to Cassavetes?! The main single listing feminist icons?! Fuck Giuliani!? Count me in! Every song on this appealed immediately to me. The lo-fi instruments are magic in their hands. The lyrics seem very personal. I love it! On the first listen this seems to have become my favorite punk album.
Wheeeeeee! What a fun ride. Surprises around every corner. My new musical crush.
I have heard of this band, but was not actually familiar with this album at all. On first listen, I thought that it was interesting. On the second, I thought, I like these ladies. As I did a quick third overview, I decided I really really like Le Tigre.
What a delight this album was. A retro sound of early 80s new wave/punk, itself evoking 1960s pop, with so much brilliance to say in a clever way. Put a big smile on my face.
started listening and was like 'damn this sounds like good Riot Grrl shit!' I wonder if that's mentioned? Then google it and see it's literally Kathleen Hanna and I'd just forgotten. A lot of really great tracks, and the genre and style push it up to a 5. 100% listworthy and a band/movement worth looking more into even if you're not always a fan of the sound.
Love it. I really love this sound. I've been reading a book about Riot Grrrl and Kathleen Hanna so I'm quite invested in the genre at the moment. It's such a raw sound and really feels like people just making music for the sake of music with proper political though and force behind it which I don't think you see as much these days because social media gives a simpler avenue for political opinion.
Oh yeah, the feminist/political lyrics, unusual beats and sounds, vivacious care-free women in the 90s kind of vibe, and the excellent guitar and drums all mix together to make this an album which is firmly rooted right up Denny street haha! Love it! Another new discovery for me and it's reminding me of Wet Leg which is a band I'm currently super excited about, maybe they're an inspiration? Deceptacon feels like Deja vu to me, I've definitely heard this tune somewhere but I don't think I've watched any of the stuff in the feature list so I have no idea where I've heard it.
Niesamowicie mi się podobało. Fajna zabawa muzyką, agresywne wokale, liryka zaangażowana politycznie stanowi bardzo miłą przerwę od setnego albumu o miłości. Zaczęło się z przytupem i potem trochę to straciło - inaczej bym rozłożył piosenki. Ale w gruncie rzeczy o takie albumy w tym challenge'u mi chodzi - coś do czego wrócę, oryginalne w sumie, nie słuchałem wiele podobnych rzeczy.
I love this exact brand of music. Surprised I've never heard of this band before, although I am familiar with some of the names in the riot grrrrl movement but not this one. Absolutely will be checking them out. Also reminds me a ton of Neko Case's first band Maow.
Yes yes yes yes yes yes!!! This is one of my all-time favourite albums ever!!! Kathleen Hanna is THE 90s badass feminist hero I needed. I love the aggressively screeching vocal tones she brings to her performances and I also love the soft vulnerable side she shows. Women are strong powerful beings and we’re unstoppable when we’re given space to speak our minds freely and exist in a respected space. She has such a unique perspective and communicates it so unapologetically. I love every minute of this album: it gives you a killer in your face balls to the walls opener with Deceptacon, then takes you through a winding and frenetic feminist journey celebrating pride, iconic women, New York, and art that culminates with an impassioned moment of gratitude for music and people who make a difference in our lives with Les and Ray. I love the way that song sounds and the genuine appreciation for divergent lifestyles and alternative pathways that it expresses. It fucking rocks so fucking hard! It’s so wildly and daringly different from everything else that was on the market in 1999 and I salute it.
Best riot grrrl album of all time in my opinion. Every song on this album absolutely rips, and it has a ton of variety and weirdness that keeps it fresh like dog bark samples, pitch shifting, explosions, etc. It has it all.
F me what a blast it was listening to this album. How have I never heard of this band before? So much energy off the hop; loved it from the very first beats of Deceptacon. Simple but wicked beats and a wicked tongue. Very clever lyrics packed into a bunch of catchy 3 minute songs. They combine the melody of Throwing Muses/the Breeders and the anger of L7 (listen to Phanta). No one is spared their glare (eh Cassavetes?) and ahead of their time in calling out Giuliani (on My My Metrocard). Maybe I'm overreacting to how much this album caught me by surprise but it's at least a 4. Going back for a hell of a lot more of these grrrls.
SÅ bra att mitt hundrade album blev en solid femma! Har älskat detta album sedan 'Eau D'bedroom Dancing' dök upp i min shuffle, och den låten får fortfarande mig att känna mig som en melankolisk romantisk gymnasieelev. Det är som att riot grrrl-eran under 90-talet ledde fram till detta fulländade album, som har kvar råheten och kaxigheten, blandat med någon sorts glad post-punk. Självklart var sångaren Kathleen Hanna med både i genrens början med Bikini Kill och i dens kulminerande med Le Tigre. Kul att de i 'Hot Topic' sätter sig in i denna historieskrivning genom att lista inspirationskällor i form av andra band och feministiska ikoner. Här finns den stora, roliga hiten i 'Deceptacon', den vänliga och fina 'Les and Ray', det kaxigt punkiga i 'The the Empty', det avantgardistiska och annorlunda i 'Dude Yr so Crazy' och 'Slideshow at Free University'. Den sistnämnda är för övrigt också en favorit, troligtvis tvåa på albumet. Det instrumentella i den låten slår an en sådan sträng hos mig, den går inte att bli av med, den hypnotiserar mig. Fulländat album, tack. Bästa låt: Eau D'bedroom Dancing. Alltid.
Genuinely good music. Great mix of genres creating a sound that evolved into recent artists like The Prettiots
I had always heard of Le Tigre but had never heard them. Great album! Very ahead of their time.
Saw them back around 2002 in St Louis. Fun show. I like the punk energy combined with the minimal synth and samples. This music is like a Kind bar where it's sorta healthy but it's really just a candy bar.
Good for listening to while working. Garage rock vibes, English lyrics.
Electro punk feminist- I quite enjoyed it. I couldn’t decide if it was trying to be edgy or actually was edgy. But still a lot of fun
Banging electro rock! Great stuff. Fave track - "Decepticon" - that track kicks ass!
How in the living shit did I miss this when it was released in 1999? I mean if an album shouts out Sleater-Kinney, Billie Jean King and James Baldwin in one song, discusses Cassavetes in another, and calls Rudy Giuliani a fucking idiot in yet another, then yeah that’s an album that deserves to be on this list.
The music is good, but the lyrics are a little bit too ironic and inscrutable for me to really get into. Highlight of the album for me is "Slideshow at Free University".
This album had a lot of ups and downs for me. It starts strong with the first track that is a perfect blend of rawness, punk, catchiness and message. It falls off hard on the next two tracks and I was worried this was a one-hit album. That wasn’t the case but there were only a handful of songs I thought I’d listen to again but those songs are so good I still give this a high rating. I’d have loved this album if I knew of it back in 99.
Inspired in places, boring in others. The satirical stuff mostly lands, but the bits that don't have aged like milk. However, some of the music is great - 'Deceptacon' is nothing short of brilliant, whilst 'What's Yr Take On Cassavetes' is a real hoot.
"Wanna disco? Wanna see me disco? Let me hear you depoliticize my rhyme" (Deceptacon) "All that glitters is not gold I went to your concert and I didn't feel anything (is not gold)" (The the empty) Somos la víscera el puñetazo la hemorragia etc.
This album is so good. Fuck Rudy Giuliani. This ladies knew what was up.
Shit was popping ngl. Would fight god with Deceptacon playing in the background.
28th May 2021 Listened on the car on the drive back home. Surprised at how much I enjoyed it, lots of punk, prog influences and a bit of electro thrown in too. Good fun.
Never heard of them, but then again, the late 90's / early 00's newer music and Riot Grl were not my focus. I dig it, love the quirky lyrics and the different sounds they came up with. Very much a They Might Be Giants meet early Beastie Boys vibe. I'm glad I discovered this (new to me) band. Is Le Tigre an album I must hear? Maybe? Does it belong on this list? Would give 3.5 - 3.75 but will round up to a 4.0 for this one.
a rounded up 3.5 (I'd say 3.75 but I'm not about to get into .25s). super grungy which I of course like.
Girl Punk! YaY! like an early Bombpops kind of sound. Almost hypnotic looping on Hot Topic. One of the founders was in Bikini Kill, so that explains the similarities in sound. The The Empty is great. Artist at Free University is also great. this will need another spin to say if it is a 4 or a 5 in my book.
The debut album of Le Tigre has a definitive sound with essences of; grunge Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 80s pop, with 60s fashion and feels like the start of something bigger. The starting track “Deceptacon” has the quirkiness of The Bangles and with synth driving grunge beats. The album has highlight tracks that keep me coming back; “The The Empty”, “Eau D’ Bedroom Dancing”, “Les and Ray”. With many highlights there are a few slight misses. The album has concept pieces and some work better than others, “Phanta” the beat needs more of an evolution and becomes stagnant, where as “Slideshow At Free University” is a spoken word concept piece but feels rounded and formed. There are 90s essences for sure in this record that can be heard in “Dude Yr So Crazy” and “Friendship Station” with beats and over vocals. Overall: This record has some 5/5 songs and leads to an overall score of 4.5/5 stars. Great record.
4.0 - It’s got a boppy Go-Go’s vibe that’s been put through the DIY-bedroom recording blender. Add a dash of pink chainsaw to the mix. Fun!