Episode 496 is the VIOLENT FEMMES. Their first album is the soundtrack to my college dorm years, providing drunken sing-alongs for students trying to get real-life affirmative answers to the questions in “Add It Up.” The Femmes were alt music a decade before we started using that term. They’re labeled folk-punk but I’d call it geeky neo-skiffle. There’s a clear resonance with Jonathan Richman, but I hear parallels with They Might Be Giants (and a bit of Talking Heads, not surprising given their association with Jerry Harrison). I stopped following them after the second album and expected a drop-off from there, so I was pleased to find out they generally kept it fresh and fun over the decades.
Favourite album: Violent Femmes
Favourite song: Add It Up
Special sauce: the bass work of Brian Ritchie
Compared to expectations: ↑
Recommendation: The first album is essential, especially for those of us of a certain generation, but it’s worth exploring other stuff too.
Opus Project 