Normal Service May Resume

Sorry for the technical difficulties due to the retreating Welsh: in theory, all should be sorted now. In theory, Communism works, to quote a wise man.

Sorry about the week of Kristin Hersh tracks that didn't happen as well: I'll give up on that for now, but will try to upload the odd one still.

Rant of the day today though: hats. I've always thought a revival in gentleman's headwear would be a good thing. Nostalgia is the wrong word, it represents a time I actually knew, but I pine for the era when a hatstand had a practical use in the office. I'd love to come in after a brisk walk from where the omnibus dropped me off, hang my hat on the stand and settle to my desk. (This is pre hot-desking days, of course). A fine trilby, a sturdy homburg, these are good hats.
What I didn't expect is the hat to be appropriated by the pikey end of the trendy classes to approximate street-level value for money in the field of music.

Example. The Libertines wore hats. Now, visit Old Street, or any similar uber-hip locale, you can't move for pork-pies, alpines, cloth flats, you name it. To the point where, if I actually were to wear a finely-millinered Homburg, I'd fit right in. Which was my point, in a societal kind of way, but at the same time, these are people amongst whom I have no real desire to be accepted. I don't find the idea of wearing a scarf on a stage to be a good one. It's very hot in a pop music venue, especially on the stage. Therefore, a large duffel coat, stripey scarf and flat cap seem to me to be extraneous. Not only extraneous, but pandering to, not creating, a public image.

I wonder, who do rock stars want to emulate in the fashion stakes these days. Richard E Grant as Withnail? Pork Pie from Desmonds? The semi-mythical Mickey Pearce? Please don't say Pete Doherty. I imagine there's some sort of seeking of identification with the Clash by being ordinary chaps in studiously nonchalant clothing playing music talking about local characters dahn yer manor. I'm fairly sure the late Mr Strummer would be fine with young blokes playing jagged pop-punk, but given the pop nous and self-publicity tricks he learnt from Bernie Rhodes, I'm also fairly sure he could have spotted a scenester a mile off.

Meh, let them wear what they want I guess. I imagine i'd be just as obnoxious to them if i went around in an Old Street indie disco loudly proclaiming that this was all rubbish, you should listen exclusively to Four Tet blah blah blah. Still, I reserve my right to judge: focus on the music rather than the look people...

Antidote: Throwing Muses - Serene

Kristin #3: I'm A Wreck When He's Here

The track I've chosen today contains probably my single favourite rhyming couplet. Obviously, that's a fairly sweeping statement and I've no idea whether it would hold up to intense scrutiny. However, it's certainly one of my favourites, and although sung from the girl's point of view, it sums up the feeling that you get when you're totally besotted with someone, that even things that wouldn't normally appeal to anyone rational take on a new beauty. It's written with such poetry, and sung with such conviction (as always), that it really struck me the first time I heard it.

And when he drools,
It's like he's spitting jewels.

I say poetry, it seems even clumsy at first to use a word like "drools" in what is essentially a love song, but given the tone of the rest of the song, which summarises those feelings of panic you get when the object of your affection is around, it seems just right.

'Some Catch Flies' is from Strange Angels, released in 1998 on 4AD. If you like this one, I highly recommend getting the whole album as it's full of gems: 'Home', 'Like You' and 'Heaven' are among my favourite Kristin songs, and 'Gazebo Tree' is an absolute classic.

Kristin #2: This Has Another Ending

As I said yesterday, Kristin's gigs are some of the most amazing I've seen. There's really no other performer I've seen that has such a connection with an audience. I've been lucky enough to see Fifty Foot Wave once (at the Garage, Highbury Corner, London) and Kristin solo twice, at the Barfly in Camden and the Scala in Kings Cross.
Both these solo shows were a treat. Ably supported by the McCarricks on strings, (it freaked me out first time I saw Martin McCarrick - didn't you used to be in Therapy?), these are mostly just K and her guitar. I would advise getting to one of these shows if you can, not only are the songs beautifully rendered, but the warmth of feeling between audience and performer is almost tangible. You also get the stories behind the songs, which are consistently hilarious.
I'm posting today 'Delicate Cutters', from the Live At Noe Valley Ministry album (which is available at www.throwingmusic.com), from 2001. It's certainly not an easy-going song (few of Kristin's songs are), in fact it's a particularly gut-wrenching one in any version. I've never heard anything quite like it live.

Kristin #1: You Snake

As has previously been discussed, Kristin Hersh is a genius. Therefore, with the lady's kind permission, I'm going to post a few of her songs over the next week, hopefully like an introduction to her varied and fascinating catalogue.

The first one was originally (believe it or not) a B-side, but has since become a real Throwing Muses classic, and a live favourite as well. I had the pleasure and privilege of hearing this one live recently, at one of Kristin's recent London show. As part of the 1980 Forward celebrations (for 4AD's twenty-fifth birthday), she played a set of Throwing Muses songs which, although apparently tough going in some respects, were an absolute beauty, maybe in the top three gigs I've ever attended? One of the highlights was this one, Cottonmouth. Kristin told the story on the night of how she and her sister (I take it to mean Tanya Donnelly, apologies if I'm wrong) were in a bar listening to the conversation between another two sisters, and the song is pretty much a transcription of this conversation. It's a lovely song indeed, driving and yet touching. In fairly self-effacing manner, K decided that most of her songs are ripped from other people - I think most people would beg to differ, I'd like to see anyone else at all manage to put together such a pretty and moving song from another person's conversation...

It's very different in Kristin's solo acoustic guise to the original recording, which has the Muses' wonderfully sparse arrangement, weaving acoustic guitar, the usual inch-perfect drums and a wonderfully prominent bass-part. It makes no difference either way though, it's still an affecting and beautiful song.

You can get Cottonmouth on the new 4AD comp, 1980 Forward, which is incidentally a great CD also featuring Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Tarnation, The Birthday Party, Mountain Goats, all sorts. Or, for seven days, you can download it from the link above.

the Last Genius In Town

It's really, really cold outside. Not the predicted snow, but nonetheless, brass monkeys would certainly suffer. Today has been a day involving cleaning the house and charity shopping. As in, buying from charity shops, not buying charities.

Today's opine is less invective, more affective. It's possible I've gushed a little too much in recent days about this lady but as far I as can tell, there's no-one out there right now to touch Kristin Hersh in terms of beautifully-structured, and emotionally red-raw songs. Given her acclaimed past product it'd be justifiable to expect a lapse in intensity, a little easing off of the putting herself through the ringer. But no: just this week Kristin played a set of Throwing Muses songs to a packed Scala in London, as part of 4AD's birthday celebrations, and it clearly wasn't easy for her. She's not unduly reticent about her bipolar disorder, and her songs can veer just as much from the tame to the snarling, from the savage punk of 50 Foot Wave to the tender and vulnerable acoustic work of her solo releases.
Kristin formed Throwing Muses with her half-sister Tanya Donelly in the mid-80's and released a bunch of great albums (I'd recommend The Real Ramona and Limbo, off the top of my head). In fact, the Muses are almost a going concern, having released their last new album as recently as 2003, again to a great reception. In 1994, she released her first solo album, the stark, occasionally brutal but always beautiful Hips And Makers (still probably my favourite release of hers, period) and has gone on to release several more. Right now, her main concern is the startlingly urgent punk of 50 Foot Wave - Golden Ocean was released this year, very good it is too, and a new EP 'Free Music' is in the can (free is actually the right word, the band plan to release it, get this, for free).

So anyway, the last genius in town, Kristin Hersh. Most people would agree that genius is a hugely overused word, but I'll stick by it in this instance. Tortured genius, certainly, but what's great art without conflict? I know of no other artist with such an entrancing voice, or who can captivate an entire venue whether she's singing along to herself on guitar, or telling cute little stories of mice in toasters, or rats that can be seen from ten stories high, describing the writing of the songs. Any artist whose songs consistently defy categorisation sheerly through the inventiveness of the writing, while paradoxically staying within the realms of traditional and popular song.

Genius: Ok, a sampler - again courtesy of yousendit.com, so it's available for seven days from now.
Throwing Muses - Hook In Her Head (from The Real Ramona, 1991)
Kristin Hersh - Velvet Days (from Hips And Makers, 1994)
50 Foot Wave - Clara Bow (from 50 Foot Wave EP, 2004)