As lead singer for 1980s underground legends Violent Femmes, Gordon Gano was the epitome of ironic nerd-cool, his high-pitched lilt drenched with both humor and a twisted sense of sexuality and endless longing. Although his voice was legendary among anyone who'd ever turned their ear to college (or even alternative) radio, Gano did not attempt a solo record until he was nearly in his forties. By this point, his musical bent had altered dramatically and his dark poetic compositions deliriously threw together elements of post-punk, funk, afrobeat, cabaret, electronica, and soul.