Fans of Le Tigre looking to relive the beautiful madness of their electro-punk/riot grrl days may not know what to make of MEN‘s Talk About Body. JD Samson, who joined Le Tigre when Sadie Benning left the band, is the first of their current lineup to put out a record, and while MEN is just as feminist, dancey and just as memorable to see live, it’s still not Le Tigre.

In trading the garage sound JD had been known for with her other projects, and replacing them with the high-quality beats of MEN, Samson, Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks Takahashi are delving into the crowded world of electronic music. Their breed of punk, rock, disco fusion wasn’t nearly as popular in 2007, and I think the band has created a record that surpasses Le Tigre in some areas of production. Talk About Body is an assortment of tracks reflecting who this band is, and what they want people to think of them; sexy, fun and kind of clever at times.

The comparisons to Le Tigre, however dated and unfair, are still going to happen (and will continue throughout this review).

One obvious difference is the delivery of lead singer, JD Samson. While Kathleen Hanna (in Le Tigre and formerly, Bikini Kill) had the vigor and rally cry of a banshee, JD does the opposite, and with a startling effectiveness. The messages and lyrics are a matter of fact, stated over beats that the XX, Sleigh Bells or Gaga herself might use. MEN still call us to action regarding war, the economy, equal rights, sexuality (JD is transgendered) and gender relations, but I wonder if listeners unfamiliar with either bands will really take the effort seriously while it’s served to you on a plate full of funk, 80′s and disco. It can get a little confusing if you’re looking to just dance when the title track “Life’s Half Price” begins, but then you hear a song like “Off Our Backs,” which is just a fun song, laden with layered with female vocals and jump up and down enthusiasm. This all may be a credit to the band, as the album will require repeat listening.

Some of the lyrics to Talk About Body are clunky and sound a bit forced, but the music is very good, and impossible to resist. If you’ve ever seen MEN live, you understand the importance of trying to capture a tiny bit of their on-stage lightning in a bottle. Talk About Body may surprise a lot of people, but I’m not quite sure if it is going to be in a positive or negative way. It will certainly get people talking, and more importantly, moving. It’s a listenable, enjoyable album as a whole.

The best way to surmise it is this: there are some issues with the ingredients that made the soup, but the chef is incredibly talented and you look forward to what they prepare next.

MEN will be in California this week supporting the release, Boston on Feb. 4th, and heading overseas, hitting Netherlands, Belgium, Amsterdam, the United Kingdom and France.