50 Foot Wave |
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Firstly I need to put some perspective on things. I was approximately five years old when Kristin Hersh first started recording the music which became the original Throwing Muses demos. Okay, she was pretty young herself, but thanks to the ageing process, I didn’t really have an opportunity to hear her music until I was 16. Even then, I can’t say that I started to fully understand it until I was 20. Some processes just occur slowly, but her acoustic music eventually wormed its way into my brain, slowly tunneling a hole wide and deep enough to fit in every piece of her back-catalogue. As such, I currently still await every Hersh release eagerly, which at least doesn’t require too much waiting considering how prolific she is, but things have taken an unforeseen twist. Suddenly she’s gone out and got herself a new band.
Yes, okay, I concede that 50 Foot Wave are still 2/3 Throwing Muses. Bernard Georges is still kicking around on bass and playing some of the fastest and heaviest bass parts he ever has, but new on drums is Rob Ahlers who cracks a snare each time as if he’s attempting to murder it, and together the trio are out to destroy all preconceptions and play songs that are harder and faster than anything in Hersh’s past.
With this in mind, they do succeed. The debut EP sees six songs flying past in just less than 20 minutes, each a sonic boom of buzz-saw guitars, pounding fuzz bass, and screaming vocals. In contrast, it doesn’t quite carry the same subtlety or depth of songwriting as last year’s Throwing Muses album which also rocked, but the rules have changed and the goal posts moved it seems. 50 Foot Wave is a new career – a new lifestyle too.
There is still a little piece of that Throwing Muses spirit carried like a torch in ‘Dog Days’ at least, and of the six songs, it’s possibly the most rewarding. Feeling layered and full, the guitar-style isn’t as direct, blunt and brutal as the other songs, but has such full-on drumming (I dare you to try stop yourself from air-drumming along, especially with the pulsing hi-hat), and a screaming vocal that barely holds itself without snapping, as the voice is pushed so close to its limit. Then as the track slowly breaks down, there is some virtually evil chords waiting to drag you across the floor towards the end of the disc.
Coming in a close joint-second are ‘Long Painting’, ‘Lavender’, and ‘Clara Bow’. These are all about the big bass notes landing hard before taking off into punk choruses. I could argue that they are the most fun rock songs Hersh has produced since ‘Mania’ but I won’t worry about the comparisons. What’s weird is that they sound so hard and contemporary that I can’t quite shake the idea that one day I may accidentally flip onto an Extreme Sports channel and hear these songs soundtracking the skulls of 25 skateboarders slamming into concrete.
Even although CD opener ‘Bug’ just doesn’t feel quite right to me yet, I still can’t fight that urge to scream along during its chorus, and as such, it’s not really possible to give 50 Foot Wave a bad review. Just look around the internet and try to find one. Enjoyment levels will depend greatly on mood, though. For those not interested in subjecting themselves to an explosive rock performance, well there is almost 20 years of Hersh’s back catalogue to abuse instead. When rock is what you need, forget about Pixies reunions and overblown ticket costs. 50 Foot Wave hold the best answer, which is loud, fun, and also much cheaper.
Steven McCarron
50 Foot Wave is also available in the Stayfun Shop.
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