About the band:

Throwing Muses are an alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originally fronted by two lead singers, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, who both wrote the group's songs. Throwing Muses are known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hersh's hallucinatory, febrile songs occasionally touched on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships. - from Wikipedia (read MORE)

About the album:

Throwing Muses is the name of the 1986 debut album of the band Throwing Muses, according to 4AD, the label that released the album. The band itself, however, considers the album to be untitled, with Throwing Muses the name they give to another album released in 2003.

This was the first album by an American band to be released on 4AD, which had concentrated primarily on United Kingdom-based acts up to this point. This release marks a shift in the label's direction; a year later 4AD would sign the Pixies based in part on the band's connection to the Muses, and by the mid-1990s much of the label's roster was made up of American bands.

All the songs on the album were written by Kristin Hersh, with the exception of "Green", written by Tanya Donelly. The album was produced by Gil Norton, who went on to produce albums for the Pixies.

All-Music Guide calls the album a "powerful debut" whose "startling collision of punk energy, folky melodicism, and Kristin Hersh's mercurial voice and lyrics...puts the work of most self-consciously 'tortured' artists to shame." The review praises the record's "fluid, effortless emotional shifts"--also described as "violent, vibrant mood swings". - from Wikipedia (there's a link on the main 'Muses page to the album for more info. I can't get it to work here - sorry!)

Tracklist:

1. "Call Me"
2. "Green"
3. "Hate My Way"
4. "Vicky's Box"
5. "Rabbits Dying"
6. "America (She Can't Say No)"
7. "Fear"
8. "Stand Up"
9. "Soul Soldier"
10. "Delicate Cutters"

PERSONAL NOTE: This is the original 4AD CD release, not the later 2 CD In a Doghouse version. I saw the 'Muses only once, but it was a stunning show, probably about '89 or maybe '90. They were a huge influence on my little sister and probably one of the big reasons she became a bass/guitar-wielding rock goddess. She gave me tickets years later as a birthday present for a show of Kristin Hersh with Vic Chesnutt, the two of them alternating songs over the evening, that was one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced. This one's for her - way to go, Babes! (Yes, I call her "Babes").

Throwing Muses at MYSPACE

Throwing Muses STORE