{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Le Tigre | type = studio | artist = Le Tigre | cover = Le Tigre (album).jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1999|10|25}} | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Dance-punk • new wave<ref name="flota-allmusic"/> • riot grrrl | length = 31:44 | label = Mr. Lady | producer = Chris Stamey, Le Tigre | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = From the Desk of Mr. Lady | next_year = 2001 | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Le Tigre studio album | type = studio | prev_title = | prev_year = | title = Le Tigre | year = 1999 | next_title = Feminist Sweepstakes | next_year = 2001 }} {{Singles | name = Le Tigre | type = studio | single1 = Hot Topic | single1date = 1999 }} }}
'''''Le Tigre''''' is the debut studio album of American music trio Le Tigre. It was released October 25, 1999,<ref>{{cite web |title=Mr Lady News |url=http://mrlady.com/news.html |website=Mr Lady Records and Videos |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000118102054/http://mrlady.com/news.html |archive-date=2000-01-18 |quote=Mr. Lady is proud to debut their yet to be named release on October 25th.}}</ref> on Mr. Lady Records. The album combined pop music with the band's feminist political lyrics. It received positive reviews from music critics.
==History== thumb|left|Fateman, Samson, and Hanna performing in September 2000 Le Tigre was formed by Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and Sadie Benning. Hanna lived with Fateman while the two were in a band called the Troublemakers. Hanna had collaborated with Benning on a video for "Aerobicide" from Hanna's 1997 album ''Julie Ruin''.<ref name="weeks-index">{{cite web |url=http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/kathleen_hanna.shtml |title=Kathleen Hanna |last=Weeks |first=Laurie |year=2000 |website=Index Magazine |access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> The three of them originally planned to come up with a live format for Hanna's songs as Julie Ruin, but they transitioned into making music.<ref name="jenkins-washington-post">{{cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |date=April 21, 2000 |title=Le Tigre: Hear Them Roar |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-04/21/095r-042100-idx.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=N08 |access-date=November 7, 2014 }}</ref>
The band constructed songs using inexpensive electronic equipment. Fateman explained that they chose equipment with which they were unfamiliar to show "girl-punk scorn for that particular strain of male expertise associated with electronic music."<ref name="fateman-rbma">{{cite web |url=http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/new-york-stories-johanna-fateman |title=New York Stories: Johanna Fateman |last=Fateman |first=Johanna |author-link=Johanna Fateman |date=May 28, 2013 |publisher=Red Bull Music Academy |access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> Le Tigre produced the album with Chris Stamey of the dB's, who helped the band rearrange songs through digital editing. Hanna and Fateman knew the founders of Mr. Lady Records from their time in Portland, Oregon. They chose to release the album through Mr. Lady because of its political engagement.<ref name="jenkins-washington-post"/> When Benning was unable to tour in support of the album, the band removed them from its lineup and added JD Samson.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2000-10-05/music/tigre-beat/full/ |title=Tigre Beat |last=Saller |first=René Spencer |date=October 5, 2000 |website=Phoenix New Times |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
==Composition== ''Le Tigre''{{'}}s music spans 1960s pop, punk rock, and lo-fi new wave.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/the-eye-of-le-tigre/Content?oid=1067181 |title=The Eye Of Le Tigre |last=Holub |first=Annie |date=October 5, 2000 |website=Tucson Weekly |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> The band members listened to pop and hip hop music while making it.<ref name="ferris-rbma">{{cite web |url=http://www.redbull.com/us/en/music/stories/1331653021165/le-tigre%E2%80%99s-johanna-fateman-talks-about-dance-punk-classic-deceptacon |title=Le Tigre's Johanna Fateman dissects Deceptacon |last=Ferris |first=Glen |date=May 22, 2014 |publisher=Red Bull Music Academy |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> Le Tigre plays Farfisa organs, samplers, turntables, and guitars on the album.<ref name="chute-village-voice">{{cite news |last=Chute |first=Hillary |date=December 28, 1999 |title=More, more, more |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/more-more-more-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109152234/https://www.villagevoice.com/more-more-more-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 9, 2025 |newspaper=The Village Voice |volume=44 |issue=51 |access-date=January 9, 2025 }}</ref> Many of the album's beats were programmed on an Alesis HR-16 drum machine; Fateman stated that she found the use of a drum machine liberating because "it makes you self-sufficient."<ref name="ferris-rbma"/> Various parts were sampled and played on an Ensoniq Mirage.<ref name="SongExploder">{{Cite podcast |host = Hrishikesh Hirway |date = 13 November 2024 |title = Song Exploder Episode 282: Le Tigre 'Deceptacon' |url = https://songexploder.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Song-Exploder-Le-Tigre-Transcript.pdf |format = |work = Song Exploder |type = Podcast |publisher = Radiotopia |time = |access-date = 9 January 2025 }}</ref> thumb|Sadie Benning, one of the original band members and collaborators. The album incorporates the band's political beliefs; Hanna commented that she wanted "to make something that's totally pleasurable and political too."<ref name="weeks-index" /> "My My Metrocard" criticizes New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/FromTheMagazine/le_tigre_know_politics_of_dancing |title=Le Tigre Know The Politics of Dancing |last=Carpenter |first=Lorraine |date=December 2001 |website=Exclaim! |access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> and "Hot Topic" praises progressive activists.<ref name="carpenter-exclaim">{{cite web |url=http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/FromTheMagazine/le_tigre_raise_stakes |title=Le Tigre Raise the Stakes |last=Carpenter |first=Lorraine |date=November 2004 |website=Exclaim! |access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> The band emphasized frankness and didacticism in its lyrics as a response to the ironic tone of hipster subculture.<ref name="ferris-rbma" /> Le Tigre's vocals often carry a bored or soft-spoken tone, punctuated by more energetic bursts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/11.24.99/letigre-9947.html |title=Geek Grrl Anthems |last=Goldberg |first=Michelle |date=November 24, 1999 |website=Metro Silicon Valley |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> Their use of girl group chants was likened to 1960s group the Shangri-Las.<ref name="vowell-spin">{{cite journal |last=Vowell |first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Vowell |date=March 2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AxnVty3fkhMC&pg=PA147 |title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |journal=Spin |volume=16 |issue=3 |access-date=July 8, 2016 |page=147}}</ref> Hanna was influenced by the vocals on old records by Lesley Gore, the Shirelles, and Connie Francis. She explained that she was fascinated by "what it would be like to be a woman with way more constraints than we have now, singing these really fucked-up insipid heterosexual love songs."<ref name="weeks-index" />
==Songs== {{Listen | filename = Le Tigre - Deceptacon sample.ogg | title = "Deceptacon" | description = The song's lyrics allude to "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" by Barry Mann. | pos = left }}
=== Deceptacon === Opening track "Deceptacon" references Barry Mann's 1961 single "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" by asking "Who took the Bomp from the Bompalompalomp?".<ref>{{cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |date=January 26, 2000 |title=Le Tigre: Where's the Bomp? |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=C05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://music.cbc.ca/#!/blogs/2012/2/Gibberish-in-pop-music-bomp-ba-bomp |title=Gibberish in pop music: bomp ba bomp |last=Kelly |first=Chris |date=February 20, 2012 |publisher=CBC Music |access-date=November 8, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301002442/http://music.cbc.ca/ |archive-date=March 1, 2016 }}</ref> It denounces a decline in meaningful lyrics in rock music.<ref name="rockermann-pitchfork">{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4703-le-tigre/ |title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |last=Rockermann |first=Kristin Sage |date=October 26, 1999 |work=Pitchfork |access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> Hanna expressed frustration that riot grrrl had been transformed into icons like the Spice Girls.<ref name="nelson-mtv">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/519249/best-of-99-ex-bikini-kill-singer-bares-teeth-with-le-tigre/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127101657/http://www.mtv.com/news/519249/best-of-99-ex-bikini-kill-singer-bares-teeth-with-le-tigre/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |title=Best Of '99: Ex-Bikini Kill Singer Bares Teeth With ''Le Tigre'' |last=Nelson |first=Chris |date=October 21, 1999 |publisher=MTV News |access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> The song was popularized by online videos of its "aerobicon" choreography.<ref name="ferris-rbma" /><ref name=SongExploder/> "Deceptacon" was featured in the 2006 Norwegian film ''Reprise'', the 2003 skateboarding film ''Yeah Right!'', the 2015 documentary film ''Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot'', the 2014 animated film ''The Book of Life'', a Pandora Radio advertisement featuring British virtual band Gorillaz,<ref>{{Citation|title=Gorillaz - Pandora - "Sounds Like Gorillaz"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swRXJKWelm8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/swRXJKWelm8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}{{cbignore}}</ref> the fourth episode of the Netflix series ''Special'', the trailer for the 2019 film ''Between Two Ferns: The Movie'', The 2022 film Do Revenge, and the 2023 television special ''Invincible: Atom Eve''. The song sparked a collaboration between Le Tigre and Christina Aguilera.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2010/02/perez_hilton_wa.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811074451/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2010/02/perez_hilton_wa.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |title=Perez Hilton Was Right: Le Tigre are Contributing to Christina Aguilera's ''Bionic'' |last=Baron |first=Zach |date=February 1, 2010 |website=The Village Voice |access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref>
=== Hot Topic === "Hot Topic" was released as the album's only single. It is a list song of people whose work inspired the band. Most are female, and many are also LGBT. The song encourages them to continue on behalf of progressive women.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/10-great-feminist-anthems |title=10 awesome, fierce feminist anthems |last=Plitt |first=Amy |date=March 7, 2014 |website=Time Out New York |access-date=November 6, 2014 |archive-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131122141703/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/10-great-feminist-anthems |url-status=dead }}</ref> It combines the sounds of doo-wop, Japanese indie pop, and new wave.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0001156483|pure_url=yes}} |title=''Hot Topic'' – Le Tigre |last=Carlson |first=Dean |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> Hanna described "Hot Topic" as analogous to a college syllabus in its ability to pass on awareness of works to others.<ref name="chute-village-voice" /> The song was used in a Kohl's commercial in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ispot.tv/ad/Aysi/kohls-back-to-school-t-shirts-song-by-le-tigre|title=Kohl's TV Commercial, 'Back to School: T-shirts' Song by Le Tigre|website=iSpot.tv|language=en|access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref>
=== What's Yr Take on Cassavetes === "What's Yr Take on Cassavetes" uses American filmmaker John Cassavetes to depict the conflict between public figures' work and their personal lives.<ref name="nelson-mtv" /> It opens with a solemn spoken passage asking "how you really feel about it".<ref name="vowell-spin" /> The song breaks down into a shouting match that labels Cassavetes with positive terms such as "genius" and "messiah" as well as negative ones such as "misogynist" and "alcoholic".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2012/11/27/165004397/old-music-tuesday-le-tigre |title=Old Music Tuesday: Le Tigre |last=Tyler-Ameen |first=Daoud |date=November 27, 2012 |publisher=NPR |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtvhive.com/2012/07/26/13-songs-that-have-a-filmmaker-in-the-title/ |title=13 Songs That Have a Filmmaker in the Title |last=Bowman |first=Patrick |date=July 26, 2012 |publisher=MTV Hive |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
=== My My Metrocard === "My My Metrocard" is a song about escapism and exploration.<ref name="carpenter-exclaim" /><ref name="flota-allmusic" /> It uses a call-and-response pattern to condemn then-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose policies against quality-of-life crimes the band opposed.<ref name="fateman-rbma" />
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="flota-allmusic">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/le-tigre-mw0000255678 |title=''Le Tigre'' – Le Tigre |last=Flota |first=Brian |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Alternative Press'' | rev2Score = 4/5<ref>{{cite journal |title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |journal=Alternative Press |issue=139 |date=February 2000 |page=92}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Christgau's Consumer Guide'' | rev3Score = A<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2054 |chapter=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |access-date=March 5, 2020 |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-312-24560-2}}</ref> | rev4 = ''Entertainment Weekly'' | rev4Score = A−<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/1999/11/19/le-tigre |title=''Le Tigre'' |last=Vincentelli |first=Elisabeth |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=November 19, 1999 |access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Melody Maker'' | rev5Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |journal=Melody Maker |date=November 10, 1999}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev6Score = 8.5/10<ref name="rockermann-pitchfork"/> | rev7 = ''Rolling Stone'' | rev7Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/recordings/review.asp?aid=15817&cf=10511 |title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 30, 2000 |access-date=July 8, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010702153622/http://www.rollingstone.com/recordings/review.asp?aid=15817&cf=10511 |archive-date=July 2, 2001}}</ref> | rev8 = ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' | rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Bikini Kill |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |year=2004 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/72 72] }}</ref> | rev9 = ''Select'' | rev9Score = 4/5<ref name="select-mag">{{cite journal |journal=Select|title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre''|last=Long|first=Pat|date=February 2000|issue=116|page=86}}</ref> | rev10 = ''Spin'' | rev10Score = 9/10<ref name="vowell-spin"/> }}''Le Tigre'' received positive reviews from music critics. ''The Village Voice'' writer Robert Christgau wrote that "Hanna does the unprecedented—if not, apparently, impossible—and reinvents punk again."<ref name="christgau-village-voice">{{cite news |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |date=November 16, 1999 |title=African Connection II |volume=44 |newspaper=The Village Voice |issue=45 |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/1999-11-09/music/african-connection-ii/2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023010851/http://www.villagevoice.com/1999-11-09/music/african-connection-ii/2/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> AllMusic described ''Le Tigre'' as sounding "like the best new wave album not to come from the 1980s."<ref name="flota-allmusic" /> ''Pitchfork'' called the album's songwriting "less didactic than Bikini Kill's ... geared for the repeated listens these well-crafted pop songs beg for."<ref name="rockermann-pitchfork" /> ''Spin'' said that the album "sparkles with a joie de vivre more bubbly than a pink champagne" and continued that "the sound is as charming as the stories they tell",<ref name="vowell-spin" /> and the magazine later named it the 10th best album of 2000.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hermes |first=Will |author-link=Will Hermes |date=January 2011 |title=The Top 20 Albums of the Year |journal=Spin |volume=17 |issue=1 |page=73}}</ref> ''PopMatters'' described ''Le Tigre'' as "a record in which bristling punk-pop tunes target listeners with confrontational, thought-provoking messages."<ref name="zahora-popmatters">{{cite web |last=Zahora |first=George |title=Le Tigre: ''Le Tigre'' |url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/letigre-st/ |access-date=November 8, 2014 |work=PopMatters}}</ref> ''Select'' referred to the album as "12 sparky pop nuggets" and "a righteous gem and one worthy of attention of even the most demanding devotee of big shiny production."<ref name="select-mag" />
''Le Tigre'' placed 28th on ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s 2000 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 20, 2001 |title=The 2000 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres00.php |access-date=November 2, 2014 |work=The Village Voice}}</ref> The album is listed on ''SPIN''{{'s}} list of "The 300 Best Albums Of The Past 30 Years (1985-2014)",<ref>{{cite web |date=11 May 2015 |title=The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014) |url=http://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616052456/http://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/2/ |archive-date=16 June 2016 |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref> and in the reference book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dimery |first1=Robert |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |last2=Lydon |first2=Michael |date=February 2006 |publisher=Universe |isbn=978-0-7893-1371-3 |page=851}}</ref> In 2022, ''Le Tigre'' placed 43rd on ''Pitchfork''{{'s}} list of "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-09-28 |title=The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-albums-of-the-1990s/ |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2026 ''Rolling Stone'' placed it at 65 on their list of The 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-punk-albums-1235538842/le-tigre-le-tigre-1235538953/|website=Rolling Stone|date=May 18, 2026|title=The 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time|access-date=May 19, 2026}}</ref>
==Track listing== {{Track listing | all_writing = Le Tigre
| title1 = Deceptacon | length1 = 3:04
| title2 = Hot Topic | length2 = 3:44
| title3 = What's Yr Take on Cassavetes | length3 = 2:22
| title4 = The The Empty | length4 = 2:04
| title5 = Phanta | length5 = 3:14
| title6 = Eau d'Bedroom Dancing | length6 = 2:55
| title7 = Let's Run | length7 = 2:34
| title8 = My My Metrocard | length8 = 3:07
| title9 = Friendship Station | length9 = 3:04
| title10 = Slideshow at Free University | length10 = 2:48
| title11 = Dude, Yr So Crazy! | length11 = 3:26
| title12 = Les and Ray | length12 = 2:06 | total_length = 34:28 }}
{{Track listing | headline = Bonus tracks on 2004 reissue
| title13 = Hot Topic | note13 = BBC Evening Session | length13 = 3:07
| title14 = Deceptacon | note14 = BBC Evening Session | length14 = 3:09
| title15 = The The Empty | note15 = BBC Evening Session | length15 = 2:02
| title16 = Sweetie | note16 = BBC Evening Session | length16 = 2:43 }}
{{Track listing | headline = Bonus tracks on Japanese edition
| title13 = Hot Topic | note13 = 41 Small Stars remix
| title14 = They Want Us to Make a Symphony Out of the Sound of Women Swallowing Their Own Tongues
| title15 = Yr Critique }}
===Track list error on reissue=== The first two bonus tracks listed on the back cover of the reissue have "Hot Topic" then "Deceptacon". These songs are listed in the wrong order, as the song "Deceptacon" is on track 13, and "Hot Topic" is on track 14. This information is matched by the CDDB, but was fixed in the iTunes Store.
== Personnel ==
* Kathleen Hanna – lead vocals (all but 3, 10 & 11), backing vocals (3), guitar (3), bass guitar (8), drum machine, sampler * Johanna Fateman – lead vocals (3), backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 4 & 8), guitar (4 & 7), keyboards (1 & 8) * Sadie Benning – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, & 8), guitar (2) * JD Samson – lead vocals (11), backing vocals (2) trumpet (7)
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{Discogs master|96921|Le Tigre|type=album}} *[https://songexploder.net/le-tigre Interview with Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman about "Deceptacon"] on the podcast Song Exploder, November 13, 2024
{{Le Tigre}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tigre (album), Le}} Category:1999 debut albums Category:Le Tigre albums Category:Albums produced by Chris Stamey Category:Mr. Lady Records albums