Kristin Hersh (solo) - C/D, S/D, OPO, RFD, &c.

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She's touring the UK in early march - hurrah!

― Mark Co (Markco), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 11:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Wow! Pretty good on my first listen - the 1st track really grabbed me.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:04 (seventeen years ago) link

She was amazing live. She played a few weeks ago, and there was barely anyone in the record store--maybe 20 people, tops. So we stepped right up to the front. and it was free(!).
She played mostly new tunes, Gazebo Tree, Sundrops, and I think Your Dirty Answer.
She was so sarcastic, I loved it. (banter about NPR has "hosts instead of DJs," and the wikipedia stub that says she writes songs about many things, like apples and cowboys.)I never get starstruck, but she was just so cool in a very real way. So when I was asking her to sign Golden Ocean, I remember saying some really stupid things, cuz i was semi-nervous. which was annoying, but..aahh, whatever.
But she was definitely hypnotizing.
Mesmerized, it was awesome.

And yeah, her voice was definitely pretty raspy--i.e., my friend who'd never heard a note of Hersh things prior
remarked that Kristin sounded like an 80 year old smoker.
Though, I don't know if I'm just accustomed to her voice,
--I mean, I do usually enjoy my music a little scrambled anyway,
but I really enjoyed her delivery. It was raspy, but it was completely "in there" and sincere.
I just love her, she's great.

― mox twelve (Mox twleve), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:43 (seventeen years ago) link

thanks for that archive.org link... wow! I forget about that site.

only just got round to hearing the "Live at Noe Valley Ministry" official thing too. Good!

Stream the new one in full here :)

― about:coffee (fandango), Sunday, 11 February 2007 15:02 (seventeen years ago) link

i love her voice on limbo

― Surmounter (rra123), Sunday, 11 February 2007 16:32 (seventeen years ago) link

i just love her so much. i'm sorry i'm getting all emotional.

― Surmounter (rra123), Sunday, 11 February 2007 16:33 (seventeen years ago) link

one month passes...

Continuing my belated exposure to the Muses in general, I got Hips & Makers in the mail today. "Your Ghost" and "Houdini Blues" are as chilling as I remember. As for the rest, stay tuned.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 10 April 2007 00:33 (seventeen years ago) link

― Jazzbo, Tuesday, 10 April 2007 14:34 (seventeen years ago) link

lucky u

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 10 April 2007 15:29 (seventeen years ago) link

I am, as she lives only 15 minutes from my home. I've seen her live surprisingly few times, however.

― Jazzbo, Tuesday, 10 April 2007 15:39 (seventeen years ago) link

whaaat. that's hot.

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 10 April 2007 15:41 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm planning on seeing her April 19 at the Narrows in Fall River, Mass. Supposedly she's appearing with a "full band with strings." Anyone know how many strings we're talking about? I can't imagine you can fit too many musicians on that tiny stage.

I'd guess what you'll see will be the same as on the recent UK tour - 50 Foot Wave (or Pussyfoot Wave as Kristin calls them in this situation) plus The McCarricks on violin and cello. You may also get The McCarricks as the opening act.

I saw the Manchester UK show and I'm very, very envious of you.

― ExtensionsOff, Tuesday, 10 April 2007 23:37 (seventeen years ago) link

here we go. finally.

got my hands on a kh solo, Hips and Makers. Only 3/4 of a song into it, and i'm really, well, i don't even know how to finish this sentence.

"i think last night, you were driving circles around me"

bet it gets even better?

― Surmounter, Monday, 23 April 2007 23:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Sundrops! woot!

― Surmounter, Monday, 23 April 2007 23:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Alfred I think it was you who reminded of that Tanya song on RAmona, Not Too Soon - was that you? Such a good call.

― Surmounter, Monday, 23 April 2007 23:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Strange Angels has more of the "Your Ghost" neurotic/obsessive/claustrophobic vibe than the remainder of Hips and Makers IMO. I'm with the OP's OP.

― wanko ergo sum, Monday, 23 April 2007 23:53 (seventeen years ago) link

(I swear there was a period in '89 - '90 where I was R.E.M.'s #1 Fayunnn but Stipe has kinda ruined the wondrous "Your Ghost" for me these days.)

― wanko ergo sum, Monday, 23 April 2007 23:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Recent introductees, do yourselves a favor and go buy Sunny Border Blue tonight.

― milo z, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 00:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Strange Angels is really, really good. I'm so glad I bought it a couple of weeks ago. "A Loon" = scary.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 03:37 (seventeen years ago) link

er, Hips & Makers, that is (I was listening to Laurie Anderson a few minutes ago).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 03:43 (seventeen years ago) link

omg A Loon is amazing

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 04:19 (seventeen years ago) link

love that

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 04:19 (seventeen years ago) link

OK so I like the strings on strings and voice, but I wish she had more sonic depth in places. i am intrigued by the songwriting, it seems meditative, deliberate. interesting to hear what pops out in more listens

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:14 (seventeen years ago) link

OMG she's playing tomorrow night at the Bowery! who's going?

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:07 (seventeen years ago) link

honestly, i love A Loon, and i can't believe i get to see this woman tomorrow night. i just got this CD yesterday, and i've never seen her before!

― Surmounter, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 00:16 (seventeen years ago) link

i saw her, talked to her and she signed her new CD to me and thanked me for coming.

what else can i say? night fulfilled.

― Surmounter, Thursday, 26 April 2007 05:01 (seventeen years ago) link

um Learn To Sing Like a Star sounds GREAT.

i love that i recognize some of the hooks from the show.

― Surmounter, Saturday, 28 April 2007 22:23 (sixteen years ago) link

Did you go buy Sunny Border Blue yet? Did ya? Huh, did ya?

― milo z, Saturday, 28 April 2007 22:26 (sixteen years ago) link

i saw her, talked to her and she signed her new CD to me and thanked me for coming.

Colour me jealous! I saw her solo some years ago when I think only Hips & Makers was out, so she did some of that and some 'Muses songs, just her and an acoustic guitar sittin' on a stool. It was mesmerising and she told little stories in between the songs. Awesomely good.

― Trayce, Sunday, 29 April 2007 02:02 (sixteen years ago) link

no i didn't! i have to.

i know, it was amazing. she signed her new CD and i left, but then i was like, wait a minute, kristin hersh is on the lip of the stage talking to people and i didn't even have her sign my name? so i went back and had her sign To Ramzi :-)

she had a "full band with strings" this time, and it sounded AMAZING - it felt so nice to hear the muses sound again, xcept with a whole lotta strings. the new album is also pretty much backed by a full band with strings, and it's a great combo of muses and solo acoustic sound. she produced it herself and i love how it sounds like it she did.

― Surmounter, Sunday, 29 April 2007 20:00 (sixteen years ago) link

and let it also be said that she is SOOO nice and gracious ;-) i'm honestly a little overwhelmed by this new album. this sugarbaby song? my only thing is that sometimes the vox should be a bit louder. i just love the self-production, the density, the thickness of all the strings, guitars together. yay!!!

― Surmounter, Sunday, 29 April 2007 20:27 (sixteen years ago) link

Me and my charms

wow.

― Surmounter, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 00:13 (sixteen years ago) link

just saw her show here in austin, very nice. it was at a tiny venue, probably not much more than a hundred people (max. capacity for this place is 150, so it wasn't at all empty). the full band with strings was great, the last few times i've seen her it's been her doing solo acoustic sets.

it was mostly stuff from learn to sing like a star and hips and makers, but she did at least a couple of muses songs... white bikini sand and hook in her head. and possibly something from the new self-titled muses album that i don't have yet. and i was surprised to hear the letter in the encore... she prefaced it with "god i hate this song. they make me do it. if it were up to me, no. but..." it was so good though!

she's headed to the west coast at this point, you should all go see her.

― f. hazel, Thursday, 3 May 2007 05:25 (sixteen years ago) link

I would love to hear a full band version of "Sundrops".

― Trayce, Thursday, 3 May 2007 07:25 (sixteen years ago) link

i just did!

― f. hazel, Thursday, 3 May 2007 08:03 (sixteen years ago) link

I can't believe it was nearly 14 years ago that I took this photo of KH outside the ICA in London...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/133765068_db3e168a92.jpg

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 3 May 2007 08:40 (sixteen years ago) link

Oh thats a gorgeous pic of her :)

― Trayce, Thursday, 3 May 2007 09:01 (sixteen years ago) link

it really is, how sweet is that smile?

― Surmounter, Thursday, 3 May 2007 14:02 (sixteen years ago) link

um so i can't stop talking about this but this new album is riDICulous. i mean CRAZY. she pins the drums up against the strings with her voice in the middle and it's devestating.

― Surmounter, Friday, 4 May 2007 03:54 (sixteen years ago) link

that is a cute picture!

― Curt1s Stephens, Friday, 4 May 2007 04:01 (sixteen years ago) link

Funny thing about that picture is it was just after she'd dyed her hair black; I was mooching around the ICA foyer, waiting for friends, not really paying very much attention to the group in the corner with the little kid. I was probably in there for half an hour without recognising her. Then she walked past me. It was the eyes.

(This was during 4AD's 13-Year Itch residency; that night it was His Name Is Alive's "heavy metal" set, Unrest and Throwing Muses in power trio mode).

― Michael Jones, Friday, 4 May 2007 08:27 (sixteen years ago) link

Shes had more hairdos/colours than I have! I always liked her with black hair tho.

― Trayce, Friday, 4 May 2007 08:41 (sixteen years ago) link

i always thought that promo pic of her sitting on the steps from around hips and makers time was really cute, she had black hair in that.

― f. hazel, Friday, 4 May 2007 08:44 (sixteen years ago) link

yes that is a real sweet look

― Surmounter, Friday, 4 May 2007 16:14 (sixteen years ago) link

Track to check out: Winter on Learn to Sing. Packs some fuckin oomph

so now that i have 1st album and most recent solo, where should i go? Strange Angels?

― Surmounter, Saturday, 5 May 2007 14:31 (sixteen years ago) link

i haven't felt like this b/c of a mere song in MONTHS

― Surmounter, Saturday, 5 May 2007 14:51 (sixteen years ago) link

i love "the thin man" from the new album... you should get strange angels next, yes. opinions on her best solo albums vary widely though. i think strange angels is better than hips and makers, for example.

― f. hazel, Saturday, 5 May 2007 22:00 (sixteen years ago) link

and I'll continue to champion Sunny Border Blue. It's a lot like Learn to Sing in style, but rougher at the edges (sounds better turned up to 11) and lyrically just raw.

― milo z, Saturday, 5 May 2007 22:46 (sixteen years ago) link

rougher at the edges doesn't sound bad. i must say though, that i wasn't hesitant at all to embrace the slick production style on Learn to Sing - she cleans up damn good.

i love the thin man as well (those pulsating strings) but the rockier numbers are crazy. Under the Gun wtf.

― Surmounter, Sunday, 6 May 2007 00:32 (sixteen years ago) link

argh so funny i clicked into this screen right as a Thin Man came on. i just got super into Wild Vanilla. totally Ramona-esque sheeny pop delight. crazy.

― Surmounter, Thursday, 10 May 2007 01:54 (sixteen years ago) link

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