JennJoy's Full Review: Violent Femmes by The Violent Femmes
Jumbo Shrimp? Acoustic Punk? Cruel Kindness? Violent Femmes? These things may all sound like oxymorons but two of them go together quite well. The Violent Femmes have been playing an eclectic blend of acoustic punk music since the early 1980's.
The story goes (from the CD insert) that the Violent Femmes were discovered in their native Wisconsin while performing for a crowd of people who were waiting to buy tickets to see the Pretenders. The guitarist for the Pretenders took notice of the Femmes, and within a year they had released their self titled debut. It was 1981.
That is not to say that the Violent Femmes have been on 'easy street' ever since. It's been a long, hard journey for these guys. Many of the songs from this album were immediate cult hits and now, 18 years later, they are still played on the radio. However, it took 10 years for this album to even go Platinum!
Many people do not realize that this album is the first of many for the Violent Femmes. Their self-titled debut remains the most popular but they have been recording and touring constantly for almost two decades. Little has changed except the band's lineup, when longtime drummer Victor DeLorenzo left the Femmes to pursue a solo career. The band's original lineup was: Gordon Gano--lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Brain Ritchie--bass, lead/rhythm guitar, jaw harp and slide whistle; Victor DeLorenzo--drums, percussion, vocals.
On its own, the band's debut album stands definitely strong as a shining symbol of teen angst, cynicism, indignation, frustration, self-loathing and an overall "devil-may-care" attitude. I remember these feelings all too well. Do you?
I believe this is where the Violent Femmes get their staying power from. Their music is simple yet lively and their lyrics, while admittedly not intellectually brilliant, reach into the hearts of anyone who has ever felt discouraged, unwanted or misunderstood. Let me not confuse an uninitiated listener though, the Violent Femmes do not play depressing, lifeless music; on the contrary, their songs are energetic and catchy.
The album consists of 12 songs--ten from the original 1982 version and two from 1983 that were added later. Categorizing the Violent Femmes as acoustic punk just doesn't fully describe what you may hear on this album though. Contained within is an ingenious blend of folk, rock, country, rockabilly and punk styles all with an acoustic flair. It is truly as if they stuck all of the genres in a blender, spit the result out and then formed it into a record.
Blister in the Sun is the first song on the album. A true 1980's anthem, this track is perhaps the Violent Femmes' best known. Memorable lines include singer Gordon Gano's nasally voice bellowing, "Let me go on. Big hands, I know you're the one."
Kiss Off is a perfect tune to coincide with telling some one off. At least, via this song, the Violent Femmes are saying exactly what they think even if the rest of us do not.
Add it Up is a personal favorite as the music deftly flows from hushed to crescendo within the verses. Memorable line: "Broken down kitchen at the top of the stairs, can I mix in with your affairs? Share a smoke, make a joke. Grasp and reach for a leg of hope."
Gone Daddy Gone is the most lively track on the album. The band makes wonderful use of a marimba (an early xylophone) that completely sets the tone of the song. I have yet to come across someone who cannot be enraptured by this song. Memorable line: "When I see you, eyes will turn blue. When I see you, a thousand eyes turning blue."
Gimme the Car is one of the two tracks that were added at a later date, but unless you owned one of the original pressings of the record you probably won't find it to be the least out of place. The band has fun with their guitars by using sounds to replace a word here and there. The result is an entire song that hinges on overt sexual suggestions made from the perspective of a teen asking his father to borrow the car for a night on the town. Memorable line: "Time goes by, I can feel myself growing old. Burning inside's makin' this boy turn out cold."
The other tracks on this album include, Please Do Not Go, Confessions, Prove My Love, Promise, To The Kill, Good Feeling and Ugly.
I highly recommend this album to anyone, although my guess is many people have heard at least one Violent Femmes song before--whether or not they knew what they were listening to! Also, although I consider this to be the quintessential Violent Femmes album, their other recordings are definitely worth checking out as well.
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