LAST YEAR, JD SAMSON, of the feminist dance-punk trio Le Tigre, released Talk About Body with her queer dance collective MEN, which also sometimes includes Le Tigre's Johanna Fateman. It was one of the very best albums released last year, and the band gave some of the very best concerts of the year too, whether at the 9:30 Club or at PhaseFest.
This year, the collective has rechristened itself JD Samson + MEN – to boost online searching – and announced plans to release four EPs instead of one long-player. You certainly will wish for more right away after listening to the first EP, Next, which contains only three songs.
Bass player Michael O'Neill – the only member with a Y chromosome – makes the collective's music worth constant replay. But the band's spunky energy grabs you from the get-go, just as Le Tigre probably did last decade. And with smart lyrics expressing the angst and apathy of modern times, you'll be only too happy to sing and dance along, in a sense of liberal communion. ''Make Him Pay'' – ''him'' being The Man – is an anthem that seems custom-built for the Occupy Movement, though it also works for gay rights and marriage equality.
JD Samson + MEN Next Men Make Music $2.99
AND ONE HALF
''Not gonna ask for your permission just to live in my skin,'' they sing. ''Pretend to play a game that I can never win.''
If this isn't the sound of winning, I'd rather lose.
Download These: ''Make Him Pay,'' ''I Don't Care''
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