Violent Femmes’ fourth album, ‘3,’ slides j
downhill with same sounds and words |
By Mark Lage
Staff Reporter_
Violent Femmes
“3”
Slash Records
The fourth alburn by the Violent
Femmes is mysteriously entitled
“3.” Perhaps this is meant to empha
size the return to the pared-down,
acoustic-power trio sound of their
self-titled debut album, after slightly
more ambitious efforts like “The
Blind Leading the Naked.”
The picture on the back cover
shows an acoustic guitar, an acoustic
bass, and a snare drum and that is all
there is on this album to back up
singer Gordon Gano’s panic -
sirickcn, off-key vocals.
The same three instruments were
ihe basis of “Violent Femmes,”
probably the band’s best-known al
bum which plays the infamous “Add
It Up” (“Why can’t I Ret just one -
?”).
“3” is essentially a less exuber
ant, more traditional rock *n’ roll
rehash of “Violent Femmes.” Bas
sist Brian Ritchie chips iri only a
couple of his snappy, original acous
tic bass lines and solos, mostly rely
ing on standard, off-the-shelf rock ‘n’
roll and blues lines to augment
Gano’s simplistic acoustic guitar
rhythms.
And lyrically, Gano, one ol the
undisputed kings of 1980s alternative
angst, is still incredibly nervous
about the same stuff -- girls, dating,
his family and all the people in the
world.
Bui despite the lacl that there isn t
much new to hear on “3,” there are
some songs and lyrics worlh listening
to.
“Nightmares” is pleasant sound
ing, simple acoustic pop and one of
Ihe few really interesting Ritchie hass
parts with Gano singing about having
had dreams about some girl as he
usually is.
Musically, the album starts off at
us best and goes downhill. Except for
‘ ‘ Mother of a Girl,” the best songs to
listen to are the first four or five songs
on side one. Of course, some of you
may think it is strange to call any
Violent Femmes’ songs good to listen
to. It is true, Gano’s voice takes get
ting used to, but it can be done, and he
is effective.
He is at his best when he is cither
seething out simple little lines like
“It hurls, it hurts, it hurts” in “Just
Like My Father,” or when he is
making you laugh at his rather
twisted sense of humor on “Fat” --
“I hope you got fai/I hope you got
really fat/’Cause if you got really,
really fat you just might want to see
me come back/1 hope you got fat.”
Maybe it seems silly and childish
for Gano to hope some girl from his
past will get really fat, but then he
reveals that it’s only because she
might want him back. Gano surprises
his listeners with this song, and does
it well. There arc also a couple of
good examples of what Gano doesn’t
do well on “Nothing Worth Living
For,” and ‘ Sec My Ships,” where he
whines.
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