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Freak Magnet
02/29/2000 8:09 PM, Yahoo! Music
Janiss Garza
Since the majority of the Violent Femmes' most popular songs came from its 1982 self-titled debut, the expectations for its latest CD--released
18 years later--are not exactly high. Perhaps that's why it is such a
pleasant surprise--if it had come out, say, in 1983 or even after their
credible 1991 album, Why Do Birds Sing?, it may not have sounded as
good. There is some filler here. But there are also a number of surprises,
and a lot of fun, to be had.
The biggest eye-opener is that the Milwaukee-bred trio have gone
electric! Yep, the world's original acoustic-punk folkies have plugged
in, and they do it with a fresh enthusiasm that belies their encroaching
middle age. They dive into high-watt territory right away with the opener,
"Hollywood Is High," an infectiously hooky rocker complemented by singer
Gordon Gano's typically oddball, neurotic lyricism. Gano's peculiar point of
view--the scrawny, horny guy who never gets enough...of anything--and his
so-annoying-you-gotta-love-it whine are Femmes staples.
But here's another
shocker: Gano drops both the anxiety trip and the humor and reveals a
serious, sensitive side--at least he does on one song, "All I Want." This
yearning ballad is open, sincere and honestly vulnerable. Gano also takes his
tongue out of his cheek--not quite as successfully--for one other number,
the unnerving "When You Died."
The rest of the time he's content to remain
the clown, from his mindless "testifying" in "Rejoice And Be Happy" to silly,
dopey tunes like "Mosh Pit" and "I'm Bad." He does have a couple of really
special moments though--"Forbidden," in which he takes the words of poet
William Carlos Williams completely out of context, and the sardonically
philosophical "Happiness Is," in which he finds joy in devouring chocolate
turtles, then concludes, "Happiness is a word for amateurs." This kind of
stuff is what gives Freak Magnet its--ahem!--depth and infinite
variety.
Who knows why the Violent Femmes decided, this late in its career, to up
the amplitude? But this seemingly simple move has made all the difference,
because Freak Magnet offers a wealth of creative ideas. Perhaps
longtime fans of the group will be taken aback by this change, but for those
less biased, it proves that there really is life beyond "Blister In The Sun."
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