Freak Magnet
Studio album by
Violent Femmes
ReleasedFebruary 22, 2000 (2000-02-22)
StudioBig House, Soundtrack, Odin, Son/Re, DV's Perversion Room, Milwaukee, WI, Nine Lives
GenreRock
Length44:49
LabelBeyond[1]
ProducerWarren Bruleigh, Violent Femmes, Pierre Henry, Tom Grimley
Violent Femmes chronology
Viva Wisconsin
(1999)		 Freak Magnet
(2000)		 Something's Wrong
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Austin Chronicle[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]

Freak Magnet is a studio album by Violent Femmes, released in 2000.[4][5] It contains the single "Sleepwalkin'".[6]

Originally scheduled for a 1998 release on Interscope Records, Freak Magnet was pulled when the band was dropped from the label.[7] A reissue with live bonus tracks were released via Shout! Factory in 2005.[8]

Critical reception

The Washington Post called the album "stuck in the Reagan decade," writing that "the Femmes still play punky hootenanny-rock with occasional potty-mouthed lyrics to assure frat-boy appeal."[9] Exclaim! wrote that the Violent Femmes "tend to sound like an average band dabbling in a goofy brand of punk, save for Gordon Gano's voice, which anyone could spot a mile away."[10] Paste's Andrew Lisle wrote: "With sarcastic, solid originals like 'Happiness Is' and 'Hollywood Is High', the boys try to achieve former glory on Freak Magnet, falling just short of success."[11] Trouser Press called it "a strong return to form," writing that "the Femmes hang their music in thick, hard-rocking sheets of sound rather than on a skeletal acoustic frame."[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gordon Gano, except where noted

2000 Cooking Vinyl album track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hollywood Is High" 2:22
2."Freak Magnet" 2:35
3."Sleepwalkin'" 2:21
4."All I Want" 3:32
5."New Generation"Rose Marie McCoy, Albert Ayler, Mary Parks2:38
6."In the Dark" 3:50
7."Rejoice and Be Happy" 2:11
8."Mosh Pit"Gano, Brian Ritchie2:13
9."Forbidden"William Carlos Williams, Gano2:59
10."When You Died" 2:34
11."At Your Feet" 2:51
12."I Danced"Max Dunn, Gano2:43
13."I'm Bad" 2:42
14."Happiness Is" 4:18
15."A Story"Gano, Ritchie5:00
2005 Shout! Factory reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Rejoice And Be Happy" (live) 2:24
17."Freak Magnet" (live) 2:34
18."Positively 4th Street" (live)Bob Dylan3:56
1998 Interscope promo CD track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Bad"2:42
2."Freak Magnet"2:37
3."All I Want"4:09
4."Rejoice and Be Happy"2:11
5."I Wanna See You Again"2:43
6."I'm Nothing"2:24
7."Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan)2:52
8."A Story" (featuring Pierre Henry) (Gano, Brian Ritchie)4:58
9."Happiness Is"4:20
10."Forbidden" (William Carlos Williams, Gano)2:55
11."Mosh Pit" (Gano, Ritchie)2:13
12."Yes Oh Yes"3:22
13."When You Died"2:34
14."Requiem"3:48
15."Reckless Stones" (Special bonus composition featuring Pierre Henry)4:41

Personnel

Violent Femmes

Technical personnel

  • Violent Femmes – co-producer
  • Warren Bruleigh – co-producer, mixing, additional recording
  • Pierre Henry – co-producer, additional recording
  • Tom Grimley – co-producer, additional recording
  • Martin Brass – recording, mixing
  • David Vartanian – mixing, cover design
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering
  • Roger Lian – mastering
  • Bill Emmons – additional recording
  • Mark Mason – assistant engineer
  • Ken Feldman – assistant engineer
  • Rich Tapper – assistant engineer
  • Nicola Stemmer – assistant engineer

References

  1. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 445.
  2. ↑ "Freak Magnet - Violent Femmes | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ↑ Lieck, Ken (March 31, 2000). "Review: Freak Magnet". Nick Barbaro. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  4. ↑ "Violent Femmes | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. ↑ "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. February 7, 2000 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ VanHorn, Teri (January 3, 2000). "Violent Femmes To Take Freak Magnet On Road". MTV News.
  7. ↑ Murray, Nick (March 4, 2015). "Hear Violent Femmes' First New Song in 15 Years". Rolling Stone.
  8. ↑ "Freak Magnet [Bonus Tracks] - Violent Femmes | Release Info". Allmusic.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, Mark (April 14, 2000). "VIOLENT FEMMES". The Washington Post.
  10. ↑ Wilyman, Scott (May 1, 2000). "Violent Femmes Freak Magnet". Exclaim!.
  11. ↑ Lisle, Andrew (June 30, 2008). "Violent Femmes (reissues)". Paste.
  12. ↑ Robbins, Ira. "Violent Femmes". Trouser Press. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
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