GoatersLeftShin
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Well, this review is a bit unusual - for me anyway.
I knew "Blister in the sun" as it was a staple of the indie clubs in the early 90s. I just assumed that Violent Femmes were one of those early 90s indie bands that had a couple of good singles, then faded away. In a way I thought of them as a Sleeper or Elastica type band.
Anyway, I listened to the album and my view was that I agree with everyone else - annoying singer and slightly childish lyrics. My view was that the album was fairly typical of the indie wave of the early 90s and I was minded to compare them a bit to Supergrass. Supergrass were master of 'childish' stories but their melodies were absolutely superb - far better than the Violent Femmes (I love Supergrass).
In truth, I didn't think too much of the album and was going to give it a lowish mark - 4. However, on Spotify it says that the VF album was made in 1983. I just assumed it was a typo and it should be 1993 and went to double check it. No, it was released in 1983!
Now, for all albums I do try to listen with two sets of ears. Firstly, the ears of someone who'd heard this for the first time when it was first released. What was the context? Who else was around? Who wasn't around yet? Secondly, how does it sound nowadays.
So, given that this album released in 1983 sounds like it should've been made in 1993, I have to reconsider my score. It's ahead of it's time. It's a 'slacker rock' album made in 1983 and in my mind, there wasn't too many other bands doing that back then.
In all honesty, it's not an album I'd return to although Blister in the Sun is a great pop song. That said, it's ahead of it's time in 1983 and as a result it's likely to have some significance to bands who came after it with regards to the slacker/garage type sound so I have to mark it a little higher than I would've done without check the date.
It's not that good mind, but 6/10 seems fair.
I knew "Blister in the sun" as it was a staple of the indie clubs in the early 90s. I just assumed that Violent Femmes were one of those early 90s indie bands that had a couple of good singles, then faded away. In a way I thought of them as a Sleeper or Elastica type band.
Anyway, I listened to the album and my view was that I agree with everyone else - annoying singer and slightly childish lyrics. My view was that the album was fairly typical of the indie wave of the early 90s and I was minded to compare them a bit to Supergrass. Supergrass were master of 'childish' stories but their melodies were absolutely superb - far better than the Violent Femmes (I love Supergrass).
In truth, I didn't think too much of the album and was going to give it a lowish mark - 4. However, on Spotify it says that the VF album was made in 1983. I just assumed it was a typo and it should be 1993 and went to double check it. No, it was released in 1983!
Now, for all albums I do try to listen with two sets of ears. Firstly, the ears of someone who'd heard this for the first time when it was first released. What was the context? Who else was around? Who wasn't around yet? Secondly, how does it sound nowadays.
So, given that this album released in 1983 sounds like it should've been made in 1993, I have to reconsider my score. It's ahead of it's time. It's a 'slacker rock' album made in 1983 and in my mind, there wasn't too many other bands doing that back then.
In all honesty, it's not an album I'd return to although Blister in the Sun is a great pop song. That said, it's ahead of it's time in 1983 and as a result it's likely to have some significance to bands who came after it with regards to the slacker/garage type sound so I have to mark it a little higher than I would've done without check the date.
It's not that good mind, but 6/10 seems fair.