Violent Femmes - eponymous

This morning I woke up with "Good Feeling" in my head. I don't really think of the Violent Femmes as music I necessarily want to start my day with, but it was kind of nice to sing those lyrics as I puttered around making breakfast. Since this album was pretty close to the front of my next drawer of cds, I decided it was meant to be. I grabbed the cd and headed for the grocery store. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, I was banging my hands on the steering wheel and singing/screaming along. Really satisfying.

This album is a total classic. I can't imagine too many arguments to the contrary. I'd love to be able to figure out the number of people who know all the words to these songs. I think it would be on the high end of that sort of statistic, especially among 30 - 45 years olds who went to high school in the U.S. I would also guess that most of us have some pretty vivid memories attached to these songs. On this album, the Violent Femmes achieved their own unique (and pretty-near-perfect) expression of teenage longing, anxiety and frustration. Those are emotions that burn images deep into your psyche. For some reason I always visualize my 9th grade World History room when I listen to this album. I also remember sitting on some random drunk guy's shoulders at the Lake Fairfax Festival while we all yelled the lyrics right back at the Violent Femmes. I was sixteen, terrified and excited, and I thought I might have even achieved being pretty cool for that moment.

I hadn't thought too much about who the Violent Femmes actually were before today. Turns out they are still going. This album was released in 1982. For the next twenty years they put out a ton of material, and they're still touring. I do remember them being amazing live. I loved that all three of them stood in a row at the front of the stage. I especially loved that the drummer was standing while he banged on a snare drum and a cymbal. What I didn't know then was that these guys came from Milwaukee. Who comes from Milwaukee??? I think that's cool. Apparently they got discovered by The Pretenders, who heard them playing on the streets.

In terms of the other albums by the Violent Femmes, I've never listened to them, and I don't feel the need. (Though if I should, please let me know!) I feel totally satisfied with this one nearly perfect album. The new cd version adds two extra tracks onto the end, which I think was a bad move. I think that "Good Feelings" is the best closing song you could ask for. But if you ignore that, "Violent Femmes" the album is so good from beginning to end. Most people know the first two tracks, "Blister in the Sun" and "Kiss Off" best. They're definite crowd pleasers. Personally, I've come to love the last two tracks the most. "Gone Daddy Gone" features a marimba, and it rocks. That's impressive.

I don't know how I would describe the Violent Femmes' music to someone who hasn't heard it. (But if you haven't, definitely jump on the chance to get this cd.) The cd sleeve describes it as a combination of "rock, folk, rockabilly, and original lyricism." On their website, they describe themselves in many different ways, starting with "the originators of folk punk." I just like that they have a sound that I've never heard replicated - though they've certainly influenced many bands - and that they made this one classic album that will always be really really fun to sing/scream along to, tapping into that teenage frustration with life.

Josh Ritter - "The Animal Years"

When my sister was finishing up at Oberlin, in early 2000, we were chatting on the phone one day and she admitted something to me. There was a guy at Oberlin who sang and played the guitar, and she actually liked his music. Emily and I share the same apprehension when it comes to singer songwriters, and I think it's safe to say that she has even less tolerance than I do. (I admitted in an earlier post that I've never been a huge fan of female singer songwriters, but in truth, I don't have much stomach for male singer songwriters either.) So, for Em to be psyched about this guy, he had to be pretty cool.

Indeed, Josh Ritter is downright exceptional. By the time I got around to acquiring any of his albums, I was able to get both his self-titled debut (which I'm pretty sure he put out while still a student at Oberlin) and his follow up "Golden Age of Radio" that came out in 2002. I loved them both. I listened to them pretty consistently for a long time. And happily I found that, though definitely influenced by folk traditions, Josh Ritter is definitely not just a folk singer, and definitely not a guy with a guitar feeling sorry for himself. He's a really talented, fun, creative musician. His compositions go way beyond vocals and guitar to achieve big, full sounds. In fact, when I checked his website tonight, I found that he's about to do two (sold out) shows in Dublin with a 24 piece orchestra.

Over the last bunch of years, Josh Ritter has definitely garnered a lot of media attention. I've heard him interviewed multiple times on NPR. I'm sure producers and hosts love him, 'cause he's a smart, witty, affable guy who comes across super humble. When he started getting a lot of press, people were throwing labels at him like "the next Bob Dylan." That's pretty serious. I don't know why people do that, but it's definitely indicative of how impressed the critics have been, so that's got to be nice. From a very outside perspective, it seems that he's been able to stay grounded and just keep evolving as a musician.

Josh Ritter has released three albums since I picked up those first two. I dutifully bought "Hello Starling" in 2003, and "The Animal Years" in 2006. However, I had gotten to the point where I felt like I loved the first two albums so much that if I needed a Josh Ritter fix, I'd just put one of those on. I never developed much of a relationship with the next two, and I have yet to purchase "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter," which was released this year. So I was a little worried when I pulled "The Animal Years" out of the drawer today and faced the prospect of writing about it. When I put it on, it was good to be reminded that I do really like his music, even the albums I don't know that well.

"The Animal Years" offers a nice array of songs. One of the things I really appreciate about Josh Ritter is that he can pull off super upbeat anthems, and really quiet meditations. You definitely get the gamut on this album. I'd say that overall, this cd is on the more serious side of his work, but if I can get into it, it can't be too much of a downer. I love the way he weaves in Biblical and scientific references. I'm sure that if I really took the time to pay attention to these lyrics, I'd realize that there are some good thoughts being offered. I've heard that this is his most overtly political album.

Poking around on his website today, I loved what I read. In one interview, Josh Ritter explained that after "The Animal Years" came out, he felt like "there was a premium being placed on earnestness that can be pretty stifling." Oh, I love that! So he decided to try an entirely new way of composing his next album - he put down the guitar and plucked things out on the upright piano, an instrument he doesn't even really play. He chose muses that made him happy, like Calamity Jane. That makes me want to listen to "The Historical Conquests" for sure. I mean, I've heard the single on the radio, and liked that (he's versatile enough to get a single on the radio!) but now I want to hear the whole thing.

I have a feeling that when push comes to shove, "The Animal Years" won't end up being my favorite Josh Ritter album of all time. But it's a really solid album, and it's nice to know that I do actually like it, and am happy to have it in my collection. If you want to add it to yours, definitely let me know and it'll be on its way to you. Either way, keep an eye on Josh Ritter. I think he'll be around for a long time, and I trust that he'll always be putting out quality work.