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A live Kristin Hersh CD is an awesome idea that I was really happy to see come to fruition! 'Cause while her songs are masterpieces on their own, her live performances are truly wondrous. Like how she can take a rocker like Throwing Muses' "Pearl" and give it the same dynamics with just her soaring voice and her acoustic guitar. Seeing Kristin play live is so hypnotic and emotional. Her piercing baby-blue-eyes stare somewhere off in the distance, her voice gets all raw and emotional, and her strumming is fierce. She's simply mesmerizing to watch live, and getting to hear her live is the next best thing.
This 2-CD set has so many great songs on it, from her solo material like "Gazebo Tree" to old Muses songs like "Delicate Cutters". But the best thing is getting to hear her hysterical between-song banter. This is another reason why seeing Kristin live is amazing - - - she's so, so, so well-spoken and funny! Her stories are heartwarming and hysterical. Disc One has a little more stories on it than Disc Two, but Disc Two has the funny dead lesbian jewelry story!!! Yay! Plus, this CD was recorded on the same tour that Andrew and I saw her on in Boston when I met the man who is now my husband! So, okay, fine, I'm biased. (janice.09.02)
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sunny border blue • 4ad records • 2001
This album is more in tune with Kristin's "Sky Motel" which I really like, but never quite got into as much as I did her acoustic releases, like "Strange Angels" or "Hips and Makers." (scroll down for those reviews.) On this album, Kristin, the amazing goddess that she is, played all the instruments herself...lord, can I just digress for a moment here? Really, I am in so much awe of this woman! She is just a true testament to the idea of "labour of love." She's been creating and releasing music ever since she was 16-years-old, for crying out loud, and she still has that passion! That drive! That love of music that keeps her going. That makes her write songs, even when major labels are dropping her. She doesn't care! Hell, she just starts her own label! And you would think her creative well would dry up after a while. HA! Not even. If anything, the well just gets deeper and deeper. She's amazing. I love her!
Okay, so back to the album. I love this! It's so incredible to hear her doing all these instruments, and adding such a cool new element to her twisted-poetic songs. She has some cool samples in the background of "Spain." It's just the little details like that that makes each song so damn special. Also, lyrically, Kristin is just as strong as ever. Really, when I buy her CDs, the first thing I'll do is crack open the case and read the CD booklet because her lyrics are so strong on their own, even without Kristin's amazing musicianship on them. I always hesitate to analyze her lyrics though, because she seems to be the sort who defies analysis. : ) She probably reads reviews of her lyrics and laughs because the reviewer completely got the wrong point. But, if I may be so bold, there seems to be a lot of lyrics dealing with domestic life, being married, being a mommy. Like on the opening track "Your Dirty Answer" where Kristin sings, "You know how it feels when the real world encroaches/Rubbing elbows with the unemployed and you." And is "William's Cut" about her dear husband/manager? I wonder how they must work that...after they fight, does Billy say, "Okay, Kristin...don't go making a song out of this!"? And, it seems like "Ruby" is about her dear little boys: "The boys are supermen wondering/Ruby or iridescent cough drop?". I just love that. Well, to wrap this up, I just want to say I love Kristin's music. Her work, whether solo or with Throwing Muses, has always been a big part of my life, from when I was a sad, confused teen like her, to now when I'm also a married gal with a family in my future. I'm just so thankful to have her songs along with me for the ride. (janice.00)
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strange angels • rykodisc • 1998
I remember travelling to Boston with my dearest friend Andrew in 1998. We were there to see Kristin Hersh perform actually, and it was the first time I had heard her latest album, "Strange Angels." For some reason, it really reflects what I was feeling during that trip to Boston. I remember being really enchanted by the city. It's both cold and pretty, but something...removed, I guess. I both fell in love with Boston, yet felt pushed away. The same is true for Kristin's latest album. It's soooo tremendously gorgeous! Kristin is the most amazing songwriter, both lyrically and musically. But despite the album's immense beauty, it feels a little cold, so I guess. I love this album to death, but listening to it makes me feel very isolated and very solitary. And I remember feeling so insignificant in Boston, so small and cold and unimportant. And Kristin's lyrics were what kept running through my head, like in "Hope" where she sings, "I feel broken, and miles away..." or in "Home" (ironic title) where she sings "Hey again, my only friend, pretty rain makes you smile..." which made me think of my dear Andrew and how it was always raining in Boston. But the song is very downbeat, not happy at all. And although the song "Gazebo Tree" doesn't have any lyrical meaning for me, the song stands out in my memories of Boston because of the almost desperate way Kristin attacks her acoustic guitar and the way she cries out her words impassionedly. These songs are wistful, yearning, sometimes sad but mostly hopeful. And Kristin is earnest, graceful, plaintive and dear. Oh, I wish I could describe this cd better...but it kind-of goes beyond "music" and becomes "emotion" which as anyone can tell you, is very difficult to pin down with words. (janice.00)
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hips and makers • sire records • 1994
Kristin's debut album really blew me away the first time I heard it. It moved me tremendously and to this day, I never tire of listening to it. I thought it might be funny to use some clips from the review I wrote for my high school newspaper back in 1994, so here they are. And let's remember...I was only 17 at the time, okay?: "If I were to ever record an album, it would sound exactly like this one. Much like Kristin's, the entire album would be recorded with an acoustic guitar. That's it. It's simplicity would reflect honest, genuine emotions, and would allow for the haunting images in the lyrics to clearly, crisply come forth towards the listener...And much like Kristin, the lyrics would showcase awkward, discomforting visions in a symbolic portrayal of life...[whew...no wonder kids at school thought I was a freak...]...Also like Kristin, vocals wouldn't by crystalline perfection, yet there will be a stunning beauty to the imperfections. Less than angelic vocals would convey actuality...And almost exactly like Kristin Hersh, I would ask the lead singer for R.E.M., the brilliant Michael Stipe, to do backing vocals. Except I will be married to Michael, and Kristin won't!...So, if I ever release a record, you'll know my inspiration. Kristin Hersh has recorded the perfect album --- what has yet to be defeated as the best album of 1994, so far." (janice.00)
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