Track Listing 1. Bright Yellow Gun 2. Start 3. Hazing 4. Shimmer 5. Come Down Calm Down 6. Crabtown 7. No Way in Hell 8. Surf Cowboy 9. That's All You Wanted 10. Teller 11. University 12. Snakeface 13. Flood 14. Fever Few
Album Notes Throwing Muses: Kristin Hersh, David Narcizo, Bernard Georges.Additional personnel: Lenny Kaye, Dylan Hersh Going, Ryder James O'Connell (vocals); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Trina Shoemaker (background vocals).Recorded at Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana.Personnel: Dylan Hersh Going, Ryder James O'Connell, Lenny Kaye (vocals, background vocals); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Trina Shoemaker (background vocals).Audio Mixer: David Bianco.Recording information: Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, LA.If not for the pop apotheosis of 1991's THE REAL RAMONA, UNIVERSITY would be the Throwing Muses' finest moment. The departure of bassist and half-sister Tanya Donnelly and a subsequent lukewarm album (RED HEAVEN) has clearly not dimmed the capabilities of singer/songwriter Kristen Hersh, whose dark, musical vision, spiraling song structures, and associative lyrics have made the Muses one of the best (and most overlooked) indie rock bands of the '80s and '90s.Though the schizophrenic meters, skittish energy and chiming guitar sound of early Muses efforts are long gone, the streamlined sonic assault and lush psychedelia of UNIVERSITY is no less compelling. Thudding rockers such as "Bright Yellow Gun" and "Teller" alternate with sprays of weightless lucidity such as "Crabtown" and the title track. Like a veiled dancer, Hersh continually reveals surprises: the undulating shuffle of "Snakeface," the climbing pulse in "Surf Cowboy," the jangle pop of "That's All You Wanted." Hersh's anguished sense of beauty is in ample evidence throughout, highlighted by her dense, contrapuntal harmonies, liquid guitar lines, and superior production sense. The combination of meticulous, multi-layered soundscapes and Hersh's outstanding, surreal songcraft make UNIVERSITY essential listening. |