Bikini Kill Defiantly on Target

BIKINI KILL “Reject All American” Kill Rock Stars *** 1/2

If there’s one band that truly embodies the defiance associated with punk rock--or rock in general--it’s not the obvious choices of Rancid or Rollins. It’s Olympia, Washington’s Bikini Kill. The quartet, notorious for its role as leaders of the underground feminist riot grrrl movement, plays hard-hitting pop tunes with pointed and often acerbic lyrics. Whether Kathleen Hanna sings about being cat-called or treated like a second-class citizen, the music’s always proved a close and rowdy companion, and resulted in compelling songs, not sermons.

Bikini Kill’s second full-length album is no exception. Hanna taunts and assaults with bratty, searing vocals, slinging lines like “Ain’t got no candy for you” and “Just go away” atop tinny but ferocious power-punk. The band sings “We are gonna have our say” like the Go-Go’s with brains. In a rare slow number, Hanna sings about a friend taken by AIDS, her shrieks genuine, raw and heartbreaking.

Bikini Kill’s self-righteous stance and indie politics alienate many potential fans, but this record reaffirms its status as one of the most vital, not to mention riotous, bands around.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).