If It's Too Loud...

It feels like it's been ages since we've had any new music from 50 Foot Wave, Kristin Hersh's musical project for sounds that are "... too weird or wild for Throwing Muses." There have only been three EPs since 2004 with the last one being released in 2016, so that feeling is justified. Luckily for the universe as a whole, we now have a new song from the band! As soon as "Staring Into the Sun" starts with a rumble of feedback, you know you're in good hands. This song is just loud. It's a heavy, killer indie/alt-rock song with a wall of fuzz riding behind it the entire time. "Staring Into the Sun" is a slow burn of a song, proving that loud and fast aren't always chained together. If you like the heavier side of Kristin Hersh and you don't already cherish your 50 Foot Wave EPs, welcome aboard! You can listen to "Staring Into the Sun" below. Black Pearl is due out April 15 on Fire Records and can be pre-ordered via Bandc...

Any day we can bring you new music from the legendary Throwing Muses is a good day. This September they are all set to release their first album since 2013, and right now we can check out "Bo Diddley Bridge." This new song keeps intact everything we want in a Throwing Muses song. It's both dissonant and gorgeous, repelling some people while drawing others in. If you love Throwing Muses, you're going to love this. One new element is an almost funky song. "Bo Diddley Bridge" grooves much more than we've grown used to in Throwing Muses's nearly forty year history.  You can watch the video for "Bo Diddley Bridge" below. Sun Racket , the upcoming album from Throwing Muses, is due out September 4 on Fire Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Throwing Muses, check out Kristin Hersh's website .

By my count, there were well over 30 new releases out this week. Add in a couple I missed, and I honestly bit off more than I could chew. So excuse the quick hits this week: Best of the Week : * Anamon - Purple, Green, and Yellow (great indie pop) * The Crystal Method - The Trip Home (for one of the second-level techno acts during the electronica explosion in the late 1990s, the fact is that they have put out a number of great albums in the last few years) * Kristin Hersh - Possible Dust Clouds (An all-time favorite here, this is a solid listen from someone with a catalog full of them.) * She Makes War - Brace for Impact (An act I’ve loved for a few years, this record has the urgency and interesting stuff I was hoping for) * Haerts - New Compassion (I loved their first album, and this long-awaited follow-up is exactly what I hoped for. Some evolution, lots of familiarity) * Cursive - Vitriola (Cursive was gone a while, but this might be their best effort since The Ugly...

When I first heard about The Town & City Festival happening in Lowell, MA, I assumed it would be limited to local Lowell area bands, and maybe a Boston band or two with Lowell ties. "A Fall Celebration of Music and Art in Lowell" just gives off a local vibe. When the line up was announced yesterday, to say I was pleasantly surprised would be a huge understatement. There are some local artists playing (Arlen, D-Tension) but there are some huge favorites of ours, also. Playing are "new" favorites like Kingsley Flood and Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. But somehow the festival are legends Edo G, Damon and Naomi, and Kristin Hersh (!?!?!?!?!!!). And they are throwing in a bunch of artists that we always see listed and mean to check out but never quite get around to it (Abbie Barrett, Analog Heart, Frank Morey, Oldsoul). Of course, there are more to be announced, but you can check out the current line up on the poster to the left. The Town and The C...

Even though we brought you a new track from Kristin Hersh's upcoming solo album a short time ago, "Breathe In" was still in the demo stages making "No Shade in Shadow" the first official single. It's not quite what we would have expected. Hersh's solo work usually fits more into the singer/songwriter category, and her noisier and more experimental work is taken on by Throwing Muses of 50 Foot Wave. "No Shade in Shadow" isn't as rock as Throwing Muses or as aggressive as 50 Foot Wave, but it's certainly not a standard singer/songwriter track. It's soaked in reverb and is one of Hersh's more dissonant tracks in recent memory. At the point Hersh is in her career, most of her contemporaries are on the nostalgia circuit and maybe churn out a dull, predictable record every few years. It's so refreshing to have an artist that continues to push herself with every release. You can listen to "No Shade in Shadow" below....

Any time we can bring you new music from one of Kristin Hersh's projects is an exciting time for us all. With an album upcoming later this year, Hersh has released a new single off it, "Breathe In." One thing we know from "Breathe In" is that the new album won't be one of her quiet acoustic releases. The track is dripping with what sounds like a tremelo effect on the guitar. When it doesn't have the effect, the guitar has a distinctly crunchy feel, and just about every element of the song, including Hersh's voice, has it's turn to distort. The song has a hypnotic and not entirely pleasant feel, although it's not entirely unpleasant, either.  You can listen to a rough mix of "Breathe In" below. The song features Fred Abong of Throwing Muses on bass and Wyatt True (aka Hersh's son) on drums. The new album from Kristin Hersh, Possible Dust Clouds , will be out later this year via Fire Records. For more on Kristin Hersh, check o...

Photo by Ken Sears When I first saw that Throwing Muses were being inducted into the RI Music Hall of Fame, I had two thoughts: 1. There's an RI Music Hall of Fame? 2. Who else is in it besides Throwing Muses? Wandering the hallway in the building that houses the new Met Cafe (my last time at the Met Cafe was the old Providence location in 2003 for an Evan Dando show), I saw the other previous inductees into the RI Music Hall of Fame. Looking at those names, I still didn't know why it took a few years to get Throwing Muses inducted. George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals? Sure. John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band? Ok.... Photo by Ken Sears With their performance at this year's induction concert, Throwing Muses solidified their place as Rhode Island rock royalty. The first few songs were a bit rough, but Throwing Muses haven't played since a tour in 2014. After that, Kristin Hersh, who was joined by longtime drummer David Narciz...

Another short week, but some stuff landed on Spotify so we'll cover a few. Artist : Kristen Hersh Album : Wyatt at the Coyote Palace Quick Description : Kristen Hersh's latest double-album-length affair. Why You Should Listen : Kristen Hersh is a must-listen even in a busy week. Overall Thoughts : Kristen Hersh's new album sounds a lot like solo Kristen Hersh in a lot of ways. That's not a bad thing at all, but it means there might not be a standout track on the album for a lot of listeners, either. As someone who has been a fan for well over 20 years, though, this felt like a solid, albeit long, listen. Recommendation : Still worth the time. Artist : You People Album : Dropouts Quick Description : Local noisy indie rock. Why You Should Listen : This is an interesting listen... Overall Thoughts : ...except that it's all over the place. I thought I liked it in the first track, I felt like I was sick of it by the last, and everything in between is ...

Photo via Facebook Kristin Hersh's solo albums tend to be where she explores her quieter, more acoustic music. The noisier more abrasive sounds tend to get channeled into Throwing Muses, and the really noisy stuff becomes 50 Foot Wave. That's not the case with her new song, "Soma Gone Slapstick."  "Soma Gone Slapstick" isn't that far removed from her other solo work. The intro starts with about 10 seconds of acoustic guitar, but then some drums and a chugging guitar chord comes in. It's still very much in the singer-songwriter realm, but it's a very interesting change.  Kristin Hersh's upcoming album, Wyatt at the Coyote Palace , will be a two disc set packaged with a book of essays and lyrics. It's due out on November 11. You can watch the video for "Soma Gone Slapstick" below. For more information, check out her website .

Kristin Hersh is set to release her second book next month. Don't Suck, Don't Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt  is a memoir and tribute to her tour mate and close friend Vic Chesnutt, who took his own life in 2009. Her previous book, Rat Girl , is simply one of the best rock memoirs ever written. Hersh goes into incredibly personal aspects of her life with such a powerful intensity in Rat Girl , which makes Don't Suck, Don't Die  one of my most anticipated books in a slew of rock memoirs coming out in the next year. She's also going on a book/performance tour in the fall. Jeff and I were both lucky enough to catch one of her Paradoxical Undressing shows which combined readings from Rat Girl  and live solo performances. If that's any indication, you won't want to miss her upcoming book tour. Don't Suck, Don't Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt  is due out October 1 on The University of Texas Press. You can pre-order it here . You can also find out more about ...

A new Throwing Muses song should be regarded with at least as much fanfare as a new Pixies song. I guess the difference is "sleepwalking-1" is actually good and holds up with the best of the Throwing Muses back catalog. Throwing Muses broke up in 1997 because touring wasn't financially viable, but came back in 2003. Since then they've been pretty silent, but on November 11 they will be releasing their new album, Purgatory/Paradise.  Ok, it's not really just an album. In keeping with the tradition of Kristin Hersh's solo work, it's being packaged with an art book. And the album is 32 tracks long. I guarantee not a single one will be as disappointing as "Bagboy." You can listen to the first song, "sleepwalking-1" below. You can also stream a 2nd song, "Sunray Venus," over at their website .