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A ukulele, brushed and simple snare drums, a cow bell, shakers, acoustic guitar and acoustic bass; this album should sound terrible, but instead is a little acknowledged music jewel. Produced by the band and Michael Beinhorn, the album was pretty much ignored by mainstream radio. Released in 1991 this was the height of popularity for the Violent Femmes and this record was one of their best and decisive recordings. "American Music" got major play from alternative stations around the country and could have easily gotten play from pop stations, if they cared. Often compared to the current Green Day, this whole album has more of a Lou Reed acoustic folk punk feel to it. The second track, "Out The Window," is a darkly humored, catchy tune about the infectious mentality of suicide jumpers. "Look Like That" focuses on the judgmental high school years when everyone seemed cool, but you and your friends. "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" goes down as one of the top cover songs ever done. Without the disco Boy George melody, the Femmes seem to answer the question with an unabashed yes. "Hey Nonny Nonny" is a children’s folk song, and the band handles it well. This is a very tightly recorded song with lots of stops and starts that all blend well together. "Used To Be" is a lost love kind of ballad that once again is infused with that folk sound. There is also an excellent acoustic guitar solo on this one. "Girl Trouble" was also a popular alternative song but never really got a lot of air play. The band did have girl trouble up the ass after all. "He Likes Me" is more youthful insecurity lamented. One is never sure whether singer-guitarist Gordon Gano is yearning for a friend or a lover. "Life Is A Scream" is good old fashioned punk, of course, not taken too seriously. The recording continues along this line with five more youthful angst verses. The Violent Femmes hit the college circuit at around the same time bands such as R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs, but have never gotten near as much success. Its a shame because their music is imaginative and witty with lots of talent mixed in also. If you are a Femmes fan of "Blister In The Sun" and "Kiss Off" then this post "Add It Up" collection is a must. The Violent Femmes web site is also basic and down to earth, but, unlike this album it doesn’t show the same imagination. Most local band sites could easily compete with it, I’m not sure if that’s the way the band wanted it or not. If you want to learn more and hear some sample of the Violent Femmes the Yahoo Launch site is a good start. 1993’s "Add It Up" was a compilation album that did pretty well, but that was about the last moderately popular CD the Violent Femmes released. After that the band’s original drummer, Victor DeLorenzo left the group and was replaced by the BoDeans former drummer. In the latter part of the ‘90s the new band changed labels and released an album that alas, didn’t ever do well, even underground. However, the Violent Femmes still do well at concerts all around the world and retain their independent roots |
Regressive Music Review