Why Do Birds Sing?

Two years after the release of their stripped-down and mellowed-out album 3, the Violent Femmes return with a disjointed and choppy but enjoyable album, Why Do Birds Sing?. This record is probably most famous for its cover of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?." The acoustic sound they pioneered (way back before MTV Unplugged was even thought of) is still here...for the most part. Many songs seem to be written as a foil to the depressing sound on 3, forsaking cohesiveness and lyrical depth for upbeat ditties. Track two, "Out the Window," is a strong suspect, with shallow lyrics and bouncy music, but does not make sense in the wake of 3. Still, other songs are fun. They revisit their infamous rancor from the first record on "Girl Trouble" and "More Money Tonight" -- this time from the perspective of musical celebrities rather than the nerds from high school. Worth mentioning is a short little two-minute track called "Life Is a Scream," which brings the entire disc to a standstill; it's more like a musical speed bump than any song they have ever recorded. Every Violent Femmes fan has their favorite record and these tend to vary wildly. More than likely, this one will not be anyone's favorite, but still has some redeeming moments. The strong opener "American Music" is reminiscent of their classic songwriting style.