Feminist Sweepstakes

by Michael GallucciOn Le Tigre's second album Kathleen Hanna is no less radical, but her politically charged agenda sounds a bit callous and simple. And that's no accident: Hanna is simple. The concept behind Le Tigre, and the thing that differentiates it from her previous band, Bikini Kill, is that the drum machine rules. Each of Feminist Sweepstakes' 13 songs plinks along the rat-a-tat-tat beat of programmed percussion. The political outline is just a side effect. And Hanna straddles the line between cheeky and obnoxious throughout. It's certainly her lack of humor that makes this an arduous listen; it's her punk sensibilities that keep it at least interesting. She's fierce and committed in a way that hundreds of her rock-rap foes aren't. Hanna's enemies are bigger this time, and for a simple-minded gal, that's a huge step forward.