A blister in the sun

I've been listening to the Violent Femmes a lot recently. I was never really aware of them when I was younger. I guess they weren't the sort of band that would be massively popular amongst young males in the UK.

They sound pretty fresh to my ears, even though some of their best stuff is over 20 years old. Fresh in a 'first time you hear the velvet underground' way. Well maybe not that fresh, but my ears are cynical.

It's fast, acoustic bass led stuff. Short songs about unrequited love sung is a whiny voice.

I picked up one of their albums about a year ago mainly cos it cost 5 quid and I was bored. I listened to it a bit before I flung it in the pile. About six months later I bought an ipod and burned it on in my initial flurry of ipod related activity.

Then I started listening to the violent femmes. Just a little, at first. I wouldn't skip a song when it came on at random. Then I would hope the song would come on. Then I would just listen to the whole album. And now I've bought another of their CDs.

I guess I like them.

'Blister in the sun' is probably my favourite song of theirs. Gordon Gano (the singer) wrote the song for a girl who wanted to start a band with him. Unfortunately she shaved her head and went to canada and joined a cult. I'm not sure that has anything to do with the lyrical content but it's a class song. Makes me smile.

They have other great songs that are worth checking out. Lyrically they often go for enthusiastic descriptions of male sexuality. Red-blooded males if not exactly gangsta rappers. And much better than most of the pish that blighted my eighties UK childhood.

I think they sold a lot of records in america.

Phunky

p.s.

'I held her in my arms' is another class song of theirs. And I've worked out how to add links to the sidebar which is cool.