Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

My friend the Terrorizer gave me a CD compilation of 90’s so-called ‘alternative” hits like Liz Phair, Oasis, the Murmurs, My Bloody Valentine and so on. Though all of the songs are really good, one song stood out, lyrically, Juliana Hatfield’s ‘My Sister.’ It goes like…

“miss my sister, why’d she go ?
Shes the one who would have taken me
To my first all-ages show.
It was the violent femmes and the del fuegos,
Before they had a record out. before they went gold,
And started to grow.”

This song reminded me of my high school days and the radio station WXB 102.7 FM. This radio station opened the eyes of Filipino youth to the new music of the 80’s. From punk, hardcore, goth and new wave. They played everything from ‘famous’ like Depeche Mode & Echo & the Bunnymen to the ‘obscure’ like Under Two Flags, Half Man Half Biscuit and Classix Nouveaux. They also got this program called Capitol Radio for which they played punk, hardcore and other stuff.

Anyways, Violent Femmes received regular airtime thanks to Blister in the Sun and Gone Daddy Gone while the Del Fuegos received minimal airplay but they’re still given airtime as well. Man, good times indeed. I remember being glued to the radio every chance I get.

I’m gonna say it now, WXB 102.7 changed my life!

Enough about nostalgia and let’s talk about the posts. I’ve posted Violent Femmes’ debut album and their second ‘Hallowed Ground’ and Del Fuegos’ Longest Day & Boston, Mass. Just scroll down to find the links to the posts. It’s individually posted.

Enjoy!

Here's what AMG has to say about the VIolent Femmes' self-titled debut:

"One of the most distinctive records of the early alternative movement and an enduring cult classic, Violent Femmes weds the geeky, child-man persona of Jonathan Richman and the tense, jittery, hyperactive feel of new wave in an unlikely context: raw, amateurish acoustic folk-rock. The music also owes something to the Modern Lovers' minimalism, but powered by Brian Ritchie's busy acoustic bass riffing and the urgency and wild abandon of punk rock, the Femmes forged a sound all their own. Still, the main reason Violent Femmes became the preferred soundtrack for the lives of many an angst-ridden teenager is lead singer and songwriter Gordon Gano. Naive and childish one minute, bitterly frustrated and rebellious the next, Gano's vocals perfectly captured the contradictions of adolescence and the difficulties of making the transition to adulthood. Clever lyrical flourishes didn't hurt either; while "Blister In the Sun" has deservedly become a standard, "Kiss Off"'s chant-along "count-up" section, "Add It Up"'s escalating "Why can't I get just one..." couplets, and "Gimme the Car"'s profanity-obscuring guitar bends ensured that Gano's intensely vulnerable confessions of despair and maladjustment came off as catchy and humorous as well. Even if the songwriting slips a bit on occasion, Gano's personality keeps the music engaging and compelling without overindulging in his seemingly willful naiveté. For the remainder of their career, the group would only approach this level in isolated moments."

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