Violent Femmes

Why Do Birds Sing? is the fifth studio album from the textbook American cult band, Violent Femmes. First released in 1991, it was their last studio album with original drummer, Victor DeLorenzo. The darkly humorous and sharp-edged folk-rock collection features the infectious hit “American Music,” well as a fan-favorite cover of Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.” This 30th-anniversary 2-CD edition features a complete 1991 live set captured at The Boat House in Norfolk, VA.

Dubbed Hotel Last Resort, it’s set for a July 26th due date through [PIAS]. It represents Violent Femmes’ tenth (overall and first since We Can Do Anything from 2016. The forthcoming collection spans a total of 13 songs, most of which feature additional instrumentation from Violent Femmes’ longtime backing band Horn of Dilemma. There are also two covers included — “I’m Not Gonna Cry”, originally by Greek rock super stars Pyx Lax, and a rendition of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”.

Add It Up is not quite the definitive Violent Femmes compilation one might hope for, even if it does feature 23 tracks and adds essential later items missing from their first comp, Debacle: The First Decade. There are several charming rarities to hook dedicated fans, who will likely find several favorites missing (perhaps another song or two could have been substituted for the between-song bits). The group's self-titled debut does a better job of encapsulating why they were important, and remains the first Femmes album to buy; besides, no compilation that includes live versions of "Kiss Off" and "Add It Up" in place of the original studio cuts can claim to be definitive. However, even casual fans who enjoyed Violent Femmes will find post-debut songs like "American Music" and "I Held Her in My Arms" to be essential, so even if Add It Up is a little too imperfect to be a necessary first purchase, it's definitely a necessary second purchase. Unless you're a die-hard fan, it will likely be the only other Violent Femmes disc you'll need.