ARTIST: Throwing Muses             

TITLE: House Tornado

YEAR RELEASED: 1988

CHART ACTION: None

SINGLES: Saving Grace, The River

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: No

LINEUP: Kristin Hersh, Tanya Donnelly, Leslie Langston, David Narcizo

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Second 4AD release by the band is fuzzy and unfocused, and suffers from ‘songs sound the same’ syndrome..

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: After a fairly acclaimed debut (not streaming) and two EPs (also not streaming), the second release by Throwing Muses seems to suffer from several maladies.

There doesn’t seem to be energy, the songs sound the same, the production is muddy, and the songs don’t have pops or energy. Maybe it’s just me, but I tried and tried but couldn’t get into it. It just seems like it’s there, and doesn’t spur one to keep listening.

Of the entire TM catalog, this may be one to skip.

NOTES & MINUTIAE: This was the first record on Sire (it was on 4AD elsewhere).

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: The 4AD version has an EP appended. 

GRADE C: It’s just boring, and alt-rock at that time shouldn’t be boring. The production probably has something to do with this, too. EXILED.