.com Formed in the early 1980s the Violent Femmes and their folky quirky acoustic-driven take on power pop gained them a reputation as the freakish cousins of the then-massive new-wave movement. It also gave them quite a huge following especially after the success of their debut. Their formula was simple: Gordon Gano s adenoidal whine and offbeat lyrics coupled with Brian Ritchie s frenzied acoustic bass and a simple stripped down drum kit. Almost two decades later their formula really hasn t changed much Freak Magnet couldn t really have been performed by anyone other than the Violent Femmes. Gordon Gano still knows how to write great pop songs and Hollywood Is High Sleepwalkin or New Generation could have easily appeared on any previous Violent Femmes release. Freak Magnet is not the sound of a band maturing or exploring a new sound or even expanding on an old one rather it s the sound of a band comfortably within its element. After the feeble effort of 1994 s New Times Freak Magnet is a fantastic return to form. --Robert Burrow