Right before Le Tigre released This Island I poured over the piles of press regarding the album, not as a writer but simply as a longtime Kathleen Hanna fan. Every interview and each review I found said virtually the same thing: Le Tigre's "crossover" album, the one inspired by the sort of music that resulted in the wildly successful (at least on dancefloor's the world over) DFA-mix of "Deceptacon." This peaked my not-so-secret interest in house music.
When the album finally hit the street, I ran to the nearest record store, grabbed a copy and thought, What the f___, if this is a dance album, why didn't the label release it on double-vinyl?
Regardless, I made my purchase, went home and slipped the record onto a turntable. The quality of the pressing infuriated me. It was too quiet. I wanted to feel the kick in my rear and the snare over my head. Meanwhile, I was stuck fiddling with the gain knob.
After I finished grumbling about cheap-ass record labels not taking the care to properly press a piece of vinyl for club play, I realized that the album itself was pretty disappointing. As far as dancing is concerned, I shook my ass with greater ease to the self-titled debut than to this album, even before DFA got it's hands on "Deceptacon."
My disappointment went further than just the lack of an anticipated Daft Punk-style of rhythm. A few months prior to the album's release, I saw Le Tigre at Coachella and the new songs sounded much more energetic. But even in that setting, I wasn't feeling the new tunes. I was waiting for something to grab me from around the knee and shake me, as the aforementioned hit and "Hot Topic" did when I first heard them.
After consecutive listens to This Island, only one song stuck in my head for more than half a minute.
Fortunately, Le Tigre released that song, "After Dark," as the single. The wide grooves that mark the two-mix 12" single filled my speakers with loud, full and pristine dance sounds. I have to say that Diplo's remix is a bit of a bore. It just pitter-patters along all seductive hipster-like without ever reaching a peak. The remix from A Touch of Class, though, is a floor stomper if there ever was one. Perhaps these two lads also realized that this is the best song on the album and that it is best to leave the embellishments to a minimum. Essentially, the duo kicks up the beat, extends the number and fiddles with a few vocals right when the song should force everyone in the club to wave hands in the air. It is exactly what I wanted to hear.