Songs to the Siren

This EP came out soon after the untitled Throwing Muses début album, and by that time I’m already thinking that they could be, for me, The Best Band In The World. Ever.

They retain that status to this day.

The first LP - which we treated as eponymous until 2003 when another LP called “Throwing Muses” was released, and the band declared that the 1986 one was actually untitled ¯\(ツ)/¯ - came across my radar via an interview in Melody Maker by Chris Roberts. They sounded interesting, and his enthusiasm got me interested. Given the number of other acts that we shared a love for, I bought the first LP, play it once, think “crikey”, and put it aside. Thankfully I gave it another few plays a week later and then it hit home what a special record by a remarkable band this was.

Chains Changed was a four-track EP that formed the next release, ahead of the band’s appearance with Fish on the 4AD compilation that brought them to a wider audience.

Finished (embedded above) is the stand-out track for me, but all four are pretty amazing.

Next up was Reel. Unlike the other three tracks by Kristin Hersh, this one was penned by Tanya Donelly, who would later leave to form Belly and have a solo career (via a stint in The Breeders).

After Snailhead, there’s Cry Baby Cry. This is Hersh’s song, not The Beatles track of the same name. Though Throwing Muses did cover the latter later, as a B-side.

If you don’t know this band, please give Finished a listen. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it, but I can guarantee you’ve not heard anything else quite like this.