Personally, I can't get enough Le Tigre.

Songs like FYR, Get Off the Internet, Bang!Bang!, TGIF, Dyke March 2000, and Hot Topic are awesome, while They Wanted Us to Make a Symphony Out of the Sound of Women Swallowing Their Own Tongues is brilliant. Even if you're not a fan of punk, or indie-rock, I'd say it's definitely worth a look into.

Here's a sample of Lyrics:

quote:

---

FYR
Ten short years of progressive change, fifty fuckin years of calling us names. Can we trade title nine for an end to hate crime? RU-486 if we suck your fuckin dick? One step forward, five steps back. One cool record in the year of rock-rap. Yeah we got all the power getting stabbed in the shower and we got equal rights on ladies nite.

Feminists we're calling you.
Please report to the front desk.
Let's name this phenomenon.
It's too dumb to bring us down.

F.Y.R. Fifty years of ridicule.
F.Y.R take another picture.
F.Y.R. Fifty years of ridicule.
F.Y.R take another picture.

Mrs. Doubtfire on mother's day. On-the-job stalker for equal pay. Toss us a few new AIDS drugs as national healthcare bites the dust. While you were on vacation black people didn't get reparations. You know these days no one's exploited. Sorry dude can't hear ya with my head in the toilet.

Feminists we're calling you.
Please report to the front desk.
Let's name this phenomenon.
It's too dumb to bring us down.

F.Y.R Fifty years of ridicule.
F.Y.R. take another picture.
F.Y.R Fifty years of ridicule.
F.Y.R. take another picture.

You've really come a long way baby. It's you, not the world, that's totally crazy. Cuz we rocked the fuckin vote with election fraud in poor zip codes. Celebrate gay marriage in Vermont by enforcing those old sodomy laws. One step forward five steps back. We tell the truth they turn up the laugh track.

Feminists we're calling you.
Please report to the front desk.
Let's name this phenomenon.
It's too dumb to bring us down.

---

anyway, le tigre is definitely great, though I wish I'd been able to see bikini kill before they broke up. a great new feministy (or maybe humanisty) band is rilo kiley (on saddlecreek records) -- they're not as obvious and in yer face as le tigre, but check out "better son/daughter" on the "execution of all things":

Sometimes in the morning I am petrified and can’t move
Awake but cannot open my eyes
And the weight is crushing down on my lungs
I know I can’t breathe
And I hope someone will save me this time
And your mother’s still calling you insane
And I swear that it’s different this time
And you tell her TO give in to the demons that possess her and that god never
blessed her insides
Then you hang up the phone and feel badly for upsetting things
Crawl back into bed to dream of a time when your heart was open wide
And you loved things just because
Like the sick and the dying
And sometimes when youÂ’re on
You’re really fucking on
And your friends they sing along
And they love you
But the lows are so extreme
That the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence
But you’ll fight and you’ll make it through
You’ll fake it if you have to
And you’ll show up for work with a smile
And you’ll be better
And you'll be smarter
And more grown up and a better daughter or son
And a real good friend
And you’ll be awake
You’ll be alert
You’ll be positive though it hurts
And you’ll laugh and embrace all your friends
And you’ll be a real good listener
You’ll be honest
You’ll be brave
You’ll be handsome and you’ll be beautiful
You’ll be happy

Your ship may be coming in
You’re weak but not giving in
To the cries and the wails of the valley below
And your ship may be coming in
You’re weak but not giving in
And you’ll fight it
You’ll go out fighting all of them.....

Other kick-ass, harder-to-find feminist groups include Dirt and Mankind? They put out a split 7" on Tribal War Records a few years back. Dirt, particularly, have no shame in being anti-male with their song "Deaf, Dumb & Male," but at least they end on a note for hope for some:

quote:

---

Stand alone, stand apart
From your frinds you must ignore
but you do not surprise me
your society feeds you crap
but when you have a daughter
it'll end up in your lap
but you can change this system
but starting with yourself
and if you change the rules
the games will change itself

---

Also, Project Hate (Phyte Records) are really, really cool:

quote:

---

Actual size
We hate ourselves
and each other
enough for you
living in this world
with your images
they're killing me
and for what?!
when i look in the mirror
i don't like what i see
if they think i'm beat
they're wrong
if they think they've beat me
they're fucking wrong
actual size

---

Mankind? says in "Deceitful Vows":

quote:

---

Do you take this man to be your wedded husband
will you take him in
and never shove him over
will you cook and clean
do anything that he says
will you be his slave
when you're in his bed

will he run your life and take your pride
as you beg for the freedom
that he only denies
[...]
is this the same man in which you choose to live
the rest of your life with
so that you can give
all your fucking worth,
all that's left of your life
[...]

---

I also like all-grrrl groups: The Lunachicks, The Wage of Sin, Sleater-Kinney, Andre's Last Chance, 7 Year Bitch. Female-fronted The Gits, Slant Six, Submission Hold are also cool. Oh, and I have a soft spot for The Donnas (guilty pleasure!) Locally, Fredericton artist Vetch takes the cake.

have you listened to Ember Swift?? my oh my they are frickin' AWESOME...a T.O.-based all-female trio. they have this funky, jazzy, latin/middle eastern-ish feel meshed with some great political lyrics.

i would have loved to hang out while i was in town. my gosh, though, the visit was such a weird, brief adventure that mainly took place in a van w/o brakes. safe, huh?