Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
1986
Album Summary
Throwing Muses is the 1986 debut album of the band Throwing Muses, released on British independent label 4AD. This was the first album by an American band to be released on 4AD, which had concentrated primarily on British-based acts up to this point. The release marked a shift in the label's direction; a year later 4AD would sign Pixies based in part on the band's connection to Throwing Muses, and by the mid-1990s much of the label's roster was made up of American bands. AllMusic 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". The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album was originally released in the UK by 4AD in August 1986 (CAD607) on LP, CD and cassette. Sometime around the early 1990s, the album went out of print, as plans were made by the band's American label, Sire Records to issue the album for the first time in the US, along with 1987's Chains Changed EP, which had also never seen American release. After Throwing Muses were dropped by Sire following the disappointing sales for 1995's critical favorite University, plans for the re-issue were dropped. The band later resurrected the re-issue project, issuing the 2-CD compilation In a Doghouse in 1998 on 4AD (DAD607CD) in the UK, and on Rykodisc in the USA. This compilation not only contained the debut LP and EP as originally planned, but also (on the second CD) the demo tape that convinced 4AD president Ivo Watts-Russell to sign the band; newly recorded versions of songs originally written in the band's early years; and the band's award-winning 1987 video for the song "Fish".
WikipediaOne of the many things I discovered in this journey is how much I actually love female driven punk. I mean, as a former enjoyer of Avril Lavigne's emo pop-punk, I should've seen that coming. This album carries the female punk energy that I love. But it's sound is quite sonic and atmospheric despite the chaos. It's more post-punk than punk. Still, it has just the right level of grittiness and filthiness from punk. It hit all the right spots in me.
Crazed blissful caterwauling. I have been a fan of the Throwing Muses for decades but was admittedly unfamiliar with this album. To be honest, I didn't like it at first but decided to push through. I gave it a second listen, then a third, then a forth. It had grabbed me. It is like a dream or a lucid waking nightmare. It also paved the way for a lot of American indie/underground music that follow Pixies being a prime example
Isn't this new? Not on Spotify, Amazon Music, nor is there a Youtube playlist for them, so I had to create my own, which will probably be broken in a week due to potential copyright strikes. This was hard to find, but damn it was it worth it. It's my kind of music! For some reason, I especially love post-punk music with female vocals, from the B-52s to Siouxsie to the riot grrrl movement. The instrumental is cool, dark, and melodic, and the vocals swap across registers to show both eery and beautiful emotions she's able to portray. Gets a bit psychedelic in some parts, like the dreamy segments of "Rabbits Dying" that transition to an off country hoedown. Also gets really fun and energetic to dance to but simple and straightforward (like New Wave without the excessive instrumentation). No weak songs, I enjoyed them all, but possibly for the same reasons. The production can be a bit hollow in some places, but the lofi sound adds to its aesthetic. I can't wait to explore the rest of their discography. Favorites: Call Me, Green, Hate My Way, Stand Up, Soul Soldier
Absolutely worth the effort to piece this one together. Underneath the surprisingly effective combination of grungy guitar and near honky-tonk rhythms is a frenetic energy that keeps one on their toes, not knowing which way the track will dodge next but fully understanding the new direction when it does. For being released pre-90s, the LP also shows a prescient vision of where guitar-led music was headed with early dips into grungier tones and abrasive vocals. Overall, this LP is an exemplar of why I put up with some of the more questionable albums on this list, as its hidden gems like this which make the experience worth it.
bleat [bleet] noun 1. the cry of a sheep, goat, or calf. 2. any similar sound (the bleat of distant horns). 3. foolish, complaining talk; babble (I listened to their inane bleat all evening).
This album is why I do this project! What a find! Super solid early post-punk with strong vocals and killer riffs. I'm all about it.
This album was not present in its entirety on Spotify so I had to go through Youtube. Anyway, this is very refreshing punk/alternative rock. I love the signer voice and the producing of the songs. It seems there is some pixies influence on thise album. I was surprise because I did not know about this band at all. I liked it 4.
I remember the band's name from when they were popular but I don't know if I listened to them. Glad I have now. This is a solid album. I like the edge to their music but I also hear precision and style. Great balance and not easy to do as I can imagine a less skilled band going too far in one direction instead of showing the intelligent restraint this band shows. I love they way they play with tempo and song structure. Some really cool ideas in here. I'm relistening right now to "Green" because I love the sound of that arpeggio the guitars play.
This was cool. Bit goaty, but I like goats. Never heard of them, will hear them again.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3rIziXSp46zL1jmweXITHy?si=_nFXDUBFSnaG0WFcAaQbrQ Listened to this link for Throwing Muses Album
Nice to see some post punk/alt on here. It's a genre that deserves more attention. I hope we see more albums from the 80s. 3.5 stars.
It's a cranky and hard album, but after the stodgy traditional borefests of Dwight Yoakim and Rod Stewart it feels exciting and refreshing. It's not a sane album, and I don't know if I want to listen again. But I'm very glad I did listen to it.
this wasn't available on spotify, so I listened to their next album, "The Real Ramona" instead - and it was great! Poppy, angsty, varied, a bit tortured and discordant
Não conhecia a banda... uma excelente surpresa! Gostei muito do album!
Uma ótima descoberta, o tipo de banda que eu amaria se já conhecesse. Vou ouvir mais com certeza. Melhores músicas: Green e Cry baby cry
Reminds me a bit of the Runaways. Especially Vicky's Box. Very Cherry Bomb-esq. Also a bit of Grace Slick thrown in there. Not quite four stars but I don't think 3 does it justice. Closer to 4 tho.
This was a lush well orchestrated album that reminded me of The Beach Boys with English folk revival and experimental folk like the Kink’s ‘Village Green Preservation Society.’ The biggest issue for me was the length and the fact that the album sounded a bit dated. In its greatest moments, it was absolutely gorgeous.
BUENARDÓPOLIS y mira que entré con una pajaaa pq duraba una banda pero me encantó. 9/10
Always down to listen to Throwing Muses. I've never listened to this particular album before. Definitely will give it some more love down the road.
I like this! Exactly the kind of niche badass alt rock I enjoy. And the band is fronted by a unique and bewitching woman? Amazing! I am loving the vocals, the lyrical content and style, and the production that creates the right mix of raw yet popish musicality. It honestly feels like it paved the way or in some part even inspired Hole's Live Through This. Sucks that I can't listen to it on Spotify, because that's where I do all of my listening, but at least there's a lot more Throwing Muses music there that I can explore. And I will be exploring this band more, no doubt about it. Hidden gem, good find!
It’s annoying to have to find the songs one by one. I would be willing to buy it while I still have a car that can play CDs, but timing wise that won’t work out for the challenge. Very interesting overall. Nothing about this bores me. I do wonder about whether certain songs in particular relate to being hit by a car while riding her bike. I can’t help but wonder about the role of dissociation on this album in general, since Kristin has since spoken about being dissociated during songwriting prior to EMDR treatment. Lots of the lyrics speak to trauma and various aspects of mental illness. I didn’t expect the country influences that came up in a couple places. It gets a 4 rather than a 5 for because of the annoyance of trying to piece it together myself for this (I could buy directly from Kristin that might shift things) and because it is sort of emotionally intense with few breaks outside of songs that are on other albums anyway. Those albums can be 5s. If you’re new to the band this is certainly a good primer.
I really liked this one. It's always nice to see a female-led band on here. Hersh's voice here is great, and the riffs are pretty creative. Fave track(s): Call Me, Green, Rabbits Dying
very different lyric style than i’m used too but definitely would listen to more stuff by tjem
Avançades al seu temps, el disc de debut sona com el rock alternatiu sonaria una década més tard de l'edició del disc. Comença a un nivell molt alt als prmers temes, però es va apagant a poc a poc. Tot i així, molt de mèrit tenir aquest so i valentia al 1986
Ok album. Singing was sometimes enjoyable, sometimes not. Good riffs, would give it another try. Hard to find to listen to on streaming platforms.
This album was incredibly difficult to find-- I'm not even certain that I listened to the right one. I liked it but I won't seek it out again
This is the sort of album that thankfully has the grace to know it's a half-hour jobbie. The singer has generic punk chick voice and that's fine for a few songs, but it wears thin quickly. The music is just basic 3-chord alterna-punk, albeit with a bit more dynamic range than the words "basic 3 chord punk" allow. It showed potential in places but whenever it had the option of leaning into something that sounded nice or inserting loud strummed chords... it chose wrong. But at 37min, once in my life, there was enough of that "let's give this a go" energy that it kept me entertained for its brief runtime. 3/5.
Very difficult to find, no trace of it on YT Music, I gather it’s not on Spotify either, possibly on Pandora if search results are to be believed, but you know, not going to get back into that relic over one album. Not available to buy anywhere I could find except as a pricey used disc or LP. Honestly find that kind of inexcusable in this age of essentially free and instant publishing: some rights holder is being an idiot. Upshot is I listened to a half assed playlist on YouTube that kind of approximated 80% of the album. Which was fine, distinctive, but another one of these highly affected vocalists who’s style gets on my nerves after about three songs.
OK, so this album is apparently discontinued and not available on any streaming service. I was able to hear a few of the isolated tracks, but I cant properly judge the entire album. 3/5
notes - debut album by post punk alt rock band throwing muses - contemporaries of the pixies - strange angulr guitar parts that often loop small ideas over and over - vocals are sort of talk-sang, reminds me of sonic youth a bit - feel like interpol are fans - these songs always feel like theyre on the edge of emotional payoff but never quite get there fav - fear - best combination of her specific vocal style and instrumentation least fav - rabbits dying - wasnt a fan of the change up halfway through 3.5/5 super unconventional and interesting but not something i would listen to regularly
This was a struggle to find since it's not available on any streaming platforms but luckily Youtube had it. Aside from that, I thought it was pretty average. Not the best, not the worst. The goat noises caught me off guard, but it was silly, so I give it a pass.
I could not find the compilation album that was listed, but it seems to be a re-issue of the self-titled first album - which I have on vinyl - and some demos and other stuff. I think the debut is a fine album, great punkish energy and interesting melodies. And Kirsten Hirsch's vocals are menacing and aggressive. 3.5 stars
The book had a rave review for this album. I might have liked it on a different day, or maybe 10 years ago, but right now it's not having a major impact for me. Good on these two young artists though, there's a lot of variety and emotion on display here.
major Sleater-Kinney vibes but weirder songs and lyrics and a decade ahead of time
Maybe it was the mood I was in while listening to this, but I didn't think of it much more than a relatively OK 80s indie album.
Throwing Muses is a name I recognized, but the album was all new music for me. The album was okay and seems adjacent to some of the bands that I have regularly listened to. This album felt like a predecessor to some of the work from Sleater-Kinney. "Hate My Way" and "Vicky's Box" were my least favorite tracks, but "Fear" and "Soul Soldier" had some great backing rhythms and energy that keep this album at least at 3 stars. I would be interested in hearing more from Throwing Muses.
I don't recall this album from '86, but did listen a bit to this band in the 90s. I always enjoyed their style, which is jagged and grungy, but still has surprise melodic elements as well. For when it came out, the album would have been pretty edgy. It's actually quite prescient of how music would sound 5-7 years down the line. In the grand scheme, it gets lost in the shuffle of a lot of the music that came after it. But it's a really interesting listen. Album isn't available on Spotify. With a little digging on YouTube, you can find most of the album tracks and live versions of others. Fave Songs: Fear, Vicky's Box, Rabbits Dying, Green, Call Me
Surprisingly little listens on this one, considering it's on this list. Captures something specific that I can't put my finger on, not sure if I caught anything that I loved from this one, loads of tracks which blend into eachother pretty well.
This was added to the list for some reason and first listen I wasn’t blown away by anything.
One of the things I love (or at least very much appreciate) about the current media landscape is the ability to just listen to an album or watch a movie pretty much on demand. One of the things I hate is seeking out a piece of media only to find that not enough people care enough about it to make it available. That seems to be the case with this first, self-titled Throwing Muses album. I don't have an Apple Music or Tidal account so maybe it's on there but it definitely isn't on Spotify, not in the U.S. anyway. I was able to find it in bits in pieces on YouTube minus one song, "Stand Up," which was available in a live version (that I could have sworn was from a those crappy cellphone video but was actually from 1987 so VHS I guess?) with not great sound so I didn't count it as part of my rating. After all that, I didn't really care for this album, some of it was just ok but a lot of it just wasn't my thing I guess. I haven't listened to a ton of Throwing Muses but I have liked or even loved some of their songs over the years, "Dizzy," "Counting Backwards" and "Big Yellow Gun" of the top of my head. Those all seam to have fuller production or something, I don't know if that is the correct terminology or if it even means anything but I think that's what the difference is to me. It's actually made me interested in digging deeper into their discography.
I had to listen to this on YouTube, so maybe I didn't get the full "experience", but I did not enjoy this. I'm not the biggest fan of this type of music, and this album is no exception. I found it somewhat generic, and boring. There was a live performance of one of the songs from '87, and I actually (kind of) enjoyed that. But then again, live music is almost always better.
Not sure if I was expecting too much, but came away with too little. Really thought this was gonna by a 4-5 star for me...well, I tried...just not for me...maybe it's timing, who knows?
I've always felt like Throwing Muses were one of those bands you're told you should like, but nobody you know has ever heard of them. That said, there are some good songs on here.
Not a fan of the goat voice.Everything was very average for an 80s rock band. 2/5
Listens: 1 Enjoyed: Not really It felt very chaotic and often a strange mix between folk and rock. The shriekiness of her voice mixed with the chaos of the band just isn't for me
I was expecting this to be better somehow. I wasn't familiar with the band outside of seeing the name in print (and honestly I thought it was Moses for ages) I like post-punk stuff for the most part, but this just didn't scratch any itch and frankly I got bored. Maybe I'll try again someday or with a different album. A 2 for now. Pity.
More than a bit too lo-fi for my tastes. Although there are some interesting and compelling musical twists and turns, it's not enough to sustain a ton of interest for me. They eventually developed a bit more (and splintered into rather more successful groups) but essentially my lazy summary is: late 80s college music that was on at parties - just a solid 2. 5/10 2 stars.
not really a fan at all of this one, there is some interesting things going on but it felt really same samey to me by the end of the album and I was glad to turn it off
This sucks. Maybe it's something I could learn to love with enough listens. But on a first listen, it is very disappointing. The songs are boring. Vocals are ok, but mostly the songs are forgettable. It's weird I disliked this, because usually I like post-punk indie stuff like this. Probably wasn't the best introduction to this band.
Niet verkeerd, maar ik had dit prima kunnen missen. Beetje vleesch noch visch.
Throwing Muses hebben geweldige platen gemaakt. Maar deze verzameling werk uit hun beginperiode kan ik niet zoveel mee.
Eigenlijk zegt het me weinig, die Throwing Muses, maar ik begon blij verrast, maar helaas werd het me toch wat te gortig na een aantal nummers. Einde niet gehaald dus dat is geen goed teken, hoewel dat toch vrijwel altijd gebeurt met een dubbel album.
I wasn't terribly impressed by this album. I thought the rhythms were great, but there wasn't anything else that stood out to me from it. When I think of great works in alternative rock from this era, I think of Sonic Youth, Pixies, REM, and The Smiths, but this album just didn't hold a candle to the albums that those bands were putting out around the same time. Maybe I'm just missing something, but nothing on this album was very memorable to me.
Las primeras tres canciones son estupendas, pero después la voz de la cantante se hace más y más insoportable. Aprecio el espíritu punk-rock eso sí.
This one didn't do a lot for me. I didn't really dislike it but I wasn't in love with any of the tracks either. Only a few songs stood out to me. I like a lot of other artists from this generation/genre (The Pixies for instance) but I just wasn't taken by this album. Standout Tracks: Hate My Way, Soul Soldier
It wasn't that great of an album. I tolerated it but didn't really get into it. No need to revisit the album. It is best to describe the album as alternative as it was not full blown indie. Thankfully it was a short album.
jooh ei nappa yhtään... tylsää kitaratyöskentelyä kuulostaa vaan satunnaiselta rämpytykseltä ilman mitään syytä huoh. vokalisti laulaa laiskasti joka on hyvä mutta lammastekninen laulunhoilotus kohdat eivät. eivät toimi. rummut sentään ihan hyviä mutta nautinto on niin vähäistä että ykköstä tulee silmään. sillä micra lähtee käytiin mutta ei kovin pitkälle pötkitä ENNEN KUIN BENSA LOPPUU.. green paras biisi..
Tusina-post-jotain. Pari kirkkaampaa (melodisempaa) hetkeä, mutta uudelleenkuunteluarvo lähes nolla.
big thumbs down. right off the bat i said hmm maybe, but as the woman’s voice became consistently awful i gave up. i really did not like her goat voice.
1.5 rated down. It's not among the top worst albums on this list, but I tried so hard to enjoy some parts of the album and I really didn't manage to do so. There's the occasional few seconds that make me think "oh, this chord sounds pretty decent" "hey, this bridge is actually nice" - but just a few seconds later I'm fighting the urge to just run away from this album again.