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50 Foot Wave50 Foot Wave 4AD/Remote Control/Inertia Kristin Hersh and Bernard Georges clearly can't let the ghost of Throwing Muses lie: 50 Foot Wave's main (indeed, only) point of difference is the replacement of powerhouse drummer Dave Narcizo with powerhouse drummer Rob Ahlers. Hence the Wave sound very, very familiar with Hersh's throat-tearing bellow over primal guitars, growling bass and a thundering tom-heavy rhythm. And, like every Throwing Muses record since 'The Real Ramona' (ie: until second guitarist/singer/songwriter Tanya Donnelly took her pop influences to Belly) it's initially great and then a little... well, uninvolving. Hence the fact that it's an EP works in its favour, particularly since Hersh has always been a particularly economical songwriter: Glory Weed promises dirty blues before turning into a typically fine Muses thrash and both Long Painting and Lavender would have Cobain nodding approvingly. It does this aging indiekid good to hear Hersh screaming over a distorted guitar, but lest I suspect that the warm fuzzies are more the product of nostalgia than genuine appreciation, Hersh's syncopated self-harmonies on the chorus of the frantic swing of Dog Days hits me between the eyes and I realise that there's life in Kristin's ol' demons yet.  |
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