Violent Femmes
We Can Do Anything
(PIAS America)

Will the Violent Femmes ever release a record that lives up to their self-titled debut album? The answer to that is, maybe. The Milwaukee-based band recently released their newest record, We Can Do Anything, and while it does not have the timelessness of other previously released songs, the Violent Femmes manage to generate a sound not different from their other albums and also managing to create some memorable tracks from this record. One would think after over thirty years of playing, the lead singer’s voice would have changed and the band would have evolved with the times and thrown in some autotune and electronica. If one thing could be said about the Violent Femmes, it is that throughout the transformation of the music industry, this band remains unapologetically unchanged. There is something to be said for consistency and that if a listener is craving a form of folk punk, they will find their home with the Violent Femmes. One song that will remind the listener of this band’s brand is “Foothills.” An unrefined and acoustic song that is most like the band. Lyrically, the song does not offer much, but that can be easily fixed with the song “Big Car” with its eccentric descriptions and Gordo Gano’s unmistakable voice; it will surely please any fan. While this record, may not live up to such songs as “Blister in the Sun” or “Gone Daddy Gone,” there are certainly some tracks worth listening to and perhaps rediscovering the distinctive sound of this band.