Throwing Muses

Through Belly, I heard of Throwing Muses. I got one of their albums, Red Heaven, at a big record store about 20 miles away from home. I didn't know till I got to my car and opened it that it didn't have Tanya Donelly on it, she'd already left the band and this was their first record without her.

I listened to it on the way home, and while I wasn't crazy about the singer's voice there were a few songs I liked. Next I tried Hunkpapa, this one had two TD songs, one-"Angel"-that I really liked. Besides that, I also liked most of the Kristin Hersh songs-they were really interesting. I'd drive around with it in the tape player and when I was at school or walking around the songs would be playing in my head.

Whenever I went to this record store I'd be there for at least a 1/2 hour, looking at everything. I had looked at the tape for The Real Ramona probably five times over five different visits before I finally got it.

What was so strange about that album is that the tracks aren't listed on the outside at all. The tape just has the barcode, the CD back has a picture of the band gathered around a rock in the ocean.

I like that: It's just a basic black & gray design with a mysterious photo on the front and white letters-"Throwing Muses The Real Ramona". This was their third full length album and I like that the idea was, "We're not even gonna list the song titles; this is the new Throwing Muses album".

I think it's great; it's not my favorite TM record, but it's their most fun. I think Rolling Stone called it "their slap-happiest record to date" and that sounds about right.