Permanent Record: The Very Best Of Violent Femmes

Audio Remasterer: . Liner Note Author: David Fricke. Recording information: Big House, New York NY; Music Works, London, England. Illustrator: . Photographers: Jim Herrington; ; ; . Intense, wry, risque, and dependably quirky, the music of Violent Femmes helped define "college rock" in the 1980s. The Wisconsin trio's willfully primitive folk-punk emerged fully formed on the group's 1983 eponymous debut, unleashing such classic acoustic barnstormers as "Kiss Off," "Add It Up," and the dance-floor sing-along favorite "Blister in the Sun." These tracks are all present on PERMANENT RECORD, a band retrospective that follows the Femmes through the fuller sound of HALLOWED GROUND and beyond, touching down on the Talking Heads-like rendition of T.Rex's "Children of the Revolution" (which features the Heads' Jerry Harrison) and the oddly uplifting, nostalgic "American Music." Although this 16-song set overlaps somewhat with ADD IT UP: 1981-1993, it follows the Femmes catalog through 2000's FREAK MAGNET (including the melancholy, soul-tinged "Color Me Once" from the soundtrack to 1994's THE CROW), making for a more wide-ranging overview. Throughout the compilation, frontman Gordon Gano's unmistakably whiny vocals, caustic lyrics, and fierce acoustic-guitar strumming are at the fore, embodying the skewed charm of this utterly unique ensemble.