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It's a mistake to dismiss the Violent Femmes as just another clever cult band. While their humor and quirky arrangements can't help but appeal to the college kid in all of us, Gordon Gano's sly lyrics are usually deeper than they appear. Likewise, the street corner busker approach that the band takes is more than just an oddball pose. The minimalist drum kit played with brushes, Brian Ritchie's resonant acoustic bass, and Gano's beat-up guitar traipse around in various folk traditions, lending the songs a layer of timelessness which elevates them above standard adolescent whining. When Gano sings, he sounds at once like your friend and a wizened old man, and tunes which begin as stories of lust and woe just might touch on issues of mortality and faith before they're over. Not that we have anything against standard adolescent whining, mind you. We just like it best when it has some weight.
- Eric Shea
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