Bangs sound remarkably like Sleater-Kinney. There, I got that out. Yes, there are differences. Bangs are not quite so cerebral-- they're more Pat Benatar than Breeders. They also have a guy on the drums. And America certainly needs more riot grrl punk. It's the one branch of punk rock that maintains some vitality. That said, Tiger Beat is a fine punk rock record. "Burnout" is bulging with Replacements attitude and strong guitar licks. The observant, urgent lyrics from "S.O.S." are much more representative of women than anything the Lilith Fair has poorly improvised. And beyond that, it rocks out. The title track includes S-K vibrato and hand- claps, a wonderful combination.

Not bothering to cram a full 74 minutes worth of crap onto the disc, Tiger Beat sticks with ten short (but sweet) tracks. It's a good start for these riot grrls, whose culture is one of the few that still has the cred (and the politics) to play punk rock.

-David Day