Throwing Muses

Throwing Muses split up in 1997, as the market for thoughtful alternative rock was
seemingly disappearing. Now bands such as the White Stripes are on the charts, and the
Rhode Island trio has returned for its rawest record yet. Throwing Muses should make
sense to fans of the new punk: Like the Stripes' output, the album's sonic simplicity and
emotional complications are inspired by blues and folk as well as the Ramones. F... More >

When friends turn psychotic, I withdraw. I haven't found black leotards sexy since I broke up with Sheila in 1962. I'm rarely persuaded that verbal dissociation reflects any social problems but the poet's own. So while I'm happy to grant the originality and even craft of Kristen Hersh's quavery free-form folk-punk, I'd do the same for the art of H.P. Lovecraft, Anaïs Nin, or Diamanda Galas. Fans of whom will pay more mind to Hersh's buzz than I do. (Grade: C)