Throwing Muses: A Spectacular Comeback with Moonlight Concessions 2025
#throwingmuses #vinyl #indiemusic
The illustrious band Throwing Muses, founded in 1981, phased in a momentous comeback with their album “Moonlight Concessions”, released in 2025. Stepping away from the more modern direction of their 2020 piece ‘Sun Racket’, this album is a victorious return to the band’s quintessential cryptic, left-field charm. The company of Kristin Hersh’s meticulous etchings and the Band’s strikingly abrasive music concoctions cultivates an exceptional allure.
“Moonlight Concessions” is an anthology of randomly-selected realities, imagined as large as life. This collection brings lived experiences, anecdotes, thought-provoking one-liners heard from passers-by or those shared during conversations, all intricately sewn to portray a slow but steady maturing period. This medley of life, polished with the electrifying vitality of the original Muses, was crafted under the vigilance of producer Kristin Hersh at Steve Rizzo’s Stable Sound Studio in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
“Summer Of Love”, the opener for the album, was initially born from a playful wager revolving around the unchanging aspect of human nature irrespective of the passing seasons. This track is a melancholy orchestral preamble, filled with tension and anticipation. Then comes along “Drugstore Drastic” – a captivating monologue taken to music spotted hastily while journeying towards a more appealing appointment. The overall structure of the album is reminiscent of Hersh’s other works, with the addition of some new nuances and lyrical enrichments. Further on, “Libretto” features strings that flatter the acoustic aura, striking a balance between the yearning heart’s heat and the chill, then transforming it into an emotional propeller, lubricated by tequila in its secure refuge.
Adding more artist depth, Kristin Hersh finds her inspiration in different environments, from the Gulf of Mexico to Southern California. In her words, each region endows a unique tint to the overarching constellation which illuminates these areas, igniting a varying range of optimism and hope. In New Orleans, stars glimmer a swamp-like, greenish-blue due to the city’s below-sea-level perspective. Over at Moonlight Beach, the stars radiate a pure white glow, providing a serene ambiance for songwriting. The unique radiance of these places aids the band’s sound technique, allowing it to find its unique identity.
Throwing Muses’ music has been constantly evolving with time, often eluding the labels of ‘typical’ or ‘conventional’. They’ve taken the alternative rock genre to unexplored dimensions, setting a high bar for their contemporaries just as they did during their initial years. Their sound has constantly seen influence from various performers, including the Pixies, drawn in by their unconventional song structures and eccentric chords. The cryptic lyrics and unusual drum sequences from Tanya Donelly and David Narcizo, respectively, have been signature elements of the Throwing Muses, making “Moonlight Concessions” a new chapter in their unconventional musical journey.
Learn more about Throwing Muses
