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Volume CXXXII, Number 17 |
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An organic experience
JAY KANG
COLUMNIST
Le Tigre: 5 stars out of five
Punk music depends on balance. At one end is the testosterone-chord crunching of speed metal bands interested mostly in inspiring violence at their shows, giving very little though to musical originality. And at the other end are bands like Green Day and Blink 182 whose dabblings in pop music strip them of the screw-the-world mentality that is essential to punk success.
In between these two extremes exists a middle ground where reckless charm and raw emotion can be paired with innovative, expressive music. The Clash did it. So did the Minutemen and so did Rancid. Unfortunately, since Rancid's And Out Come Wolves, punk rock has patiently sat through a long line of mostly Southern California knock-offs of these seminal bands.
While current punk bands like Pennywise, MXPX and the Misfits can all inspire massive mosh pits at their concerts, none of them has pushed the bar musically and suffer from rather short shelf-lives as a result. How many times can we hear MXPX cover poppy songs from the soundtrack of Grease before we start looking for something fresh? How many times can the in-your-face lyrics of the Misfits overcome the fact that they play the same five chords using the same guitars for all of their songs?
To be fair, the balance between music and image is often a difficult task, especially given the excess-driven nature of punk rock where every new band must compete to be "harder" than the last. This sort of dick-measuring should be called for what it is: typical male behavior, and so it's not surprising that the latest important album put out in punk came from a group of girls hailing from a lesbian-run label called Mr. Lady. Although they most likely would balk at any attempt to classify their music, the three women of Le Tigre embody the basic fundamentals of punk rock.
Their songs are obnoxiously political and anti-authority. They have stupid opinions about everything. They scream a lot. They wear trend-setting clothes, but tell interviewers that they wear them to bed after a night of hard drinking.
They thrust their crotches on stage. If this was all that Le Tigre did, they'd still be the closest thing to the Dead Kennedys around. Which is good enough. What Le Tigre does that sets them apart from even the Dead Kennedys is that they pair punk charisma with a toolbox of new sounds and beats that allows them more musical options than a similarly minded band like Sleater-Kinney who relies more on the traditional guitars and drum kits.
What results is a flashy, fast-driven and highly original sound that meshes well and sometimes overshadows the band's lyrics, which run the full range from smart and provocative (Deceptacon, My My Metrocard) to horribly stupid (Get Off the Internet, Bang! Bang!) Hot Topic, for example, is an intensely stupid song that only involves lead singer Kathleen Hanna reading through a list of feminists and rock girls.
The lyrics ("Aretha Franklin! Joan Jett! Ariel Skragg! Vaginal Cream Davis!") are about as interesting as listening to Harlan Pepper name every type of nut in Best in Show, but just like in Harlan's case, the delivery-a perfectly timed swinging beat and a catchy melody-makes the list entertaining.
Thank god, most of Le Tigre's songs are not dumb as Hot Topic and although the educated listener will scoff at some of their political excesses, being over-the-top is what you're supposed to do as a punk rocker.
Herbal essences: 4 stars
I had a little extra Christmas money, so I bought a bottle of Herbal Essences Natural VOLUME! Shampoo instead of the usual White Rain.
I was happy with my purchase because upgrading the products you use makes you feel like you're moving on up in the world. Earlier that month, I stopped buying the Shaw's brand of Creamed Corn and stepped up to Green Giant.
Some people believe that you grow by doing these things-they won't admit it but that's what they think. Middle age is a vodka martini for these people and old age is a fat Mercedes S-Class.I bought the shampoo mostly because my hair was flat and White Rain made my eyes burn.
Having flat hair is okay if you've got a sharp, angular face like the guy from the Strokes, but I happen to have a head shaped like a pumpkin. Limp, flat hair on a pumpkin accents roundness. Linus from Peanuts is a good example of this phenomenon. So is Billy Corgan from back in the Siamese Dream days. I wanted hair like Schroeder and I thought that the three extra dollars I was investing into botanical volume building shampoo would get me the full-bodied head of hair I so wanted.
Well, it worked until this afternoon when I ran out of shampoo. Now my hair is flat and looks weird and I hate it. I read in a men's magazine about these pills that permanently give your penis a little bit more body. Is there any hair product that achieves similar full-bodied results?
If so, it will receive 5 stars and Herbal Essences Botanical Shampoo-Natural VOLUME! will be downgraded to three stars. You always have to compare things against the competition.
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