From 1994 Hips and Makers is the debut solo album by Kristin Hersh.
Released on 4AD in the UK and Sire in the States it reached number7 in the UK album charts higher than any other album by her or by The Throwing Muses
It is more acoustic that the work of former Throwing Muses colleague Tanya Donelly in The Breeders and Belly.
Michael Stype provides backing vocals on Your Ghost.
Sadly Kristin has been prone to bouts of metal illness over the years. Her 2010 memoir Paradoxical Undressing (Rat Girl in the US) is on the shelves of my local library but I have yet to pluck up the courage to read it.
Kristin Hersh - Your Ghost
Kristin Hersh - Me and My Charms
Kristin has fallen off my radar in recent years, but I loved Throwing Muses and her debut solo album is utterly enchanting.
ReplyDeleteThe book is well worth a read. Very candid and touching, yet very funny in parts too. I still follow her work with interest, though I have to say recent records - including the latest Throwing Muses album - haven't excited me that much. Dare I say they're all beginning to sound much the same...
ReplyDeleteI'll maybe take it out to read when I am on holiday
DeleteThis is one of those albums I loved at the time but which I can't listen to now! I know that sounds a bit mean, and I know it's still great, but I just find it a little too dark and depressing to handle! Knowing that Kristin has been so troubled by mental illness just makes it a harder listen.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very good read...I went to see her a few years back at St Andrews in The Square and it was one of the most mesmerising, haunting but ultimately uplifting shows I've had the pleasure of seeing. The tour coincided with the publication of the book and she spoke a great deal about things in-between the songs.
ReplyDeleteMike over at Manic Pop Thrills has written about Kristen a fair bit and his archives are worth checking out.