Hotel Last Resort [Blue Vinyl] (LP)
Violent Femmes
Amoeba Review
08/04/2020
Violent Femmes' tenth studio album includes a few special touches, like Tom Verlaine of Television on the title track and pro-skater/singer Stefan Janoski on a new version of “I'm Nothing” (from 1994's New Times). There are also two oddball covers: “I'm Not Gonna Cry” by Greek band Pyx Lax and the Irving Berlin classic “God Bless America,” appropriately as the album closer, and featuring jazz improvisation. The band's jangly folk-punk sound remains strong however, carried by Gordon Gano's distinctive vocals and smartass lyrics – for example, “Please don't sing another chorus, that's the thing that really bores us” from opening track, “Another Chorus.”