Customer Reviews

Limbo

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I Have LONG been a fan of Throwing Muses, and through boredom online and searching sites, I started looking up things I already knew. I have owned this album (Among many others of theirs) for many years now and I still feel quite strongly about it. There are few groups out there (still in existence or not) who truly pull off the aggressve poeticism of the 80' post punk alternative movement; and Throwing Muses is one of them. BUT to say only that is to pigeon hole them into a genre, which is undeserved. Kristen Hersh is truly a gifted songwriter and guitar player, and along with the rest of the band (accomplished musicians as well!), created a amazing soundscape. If you like the rock, Give them a listen... And try to see them live if ever there is another chance!

I've been following pop music for awhile. I remember seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Somehow, the Muses totally escaped my notice until 1998. This is a group I just can't come to terms with. Simply put, their complete discography, considered as a whole, far,far exceeds the sum of its parts. To this day, I can't actually say that any one of their albums is "great". And yet, and yet... I tell you, these works put me in a fugue state for months. I ended buying and playing every single album over and over and over...It was the strangest thing. This, I think, was my favorite. It kind of all runs together, though. This is turning into a pretty incoherent review but, there you are. Muses music hits me way,way lower than the cerebrum.

. . . but the popular music world is full of shallow, plasticky dreck and the Muses will forever remain a relatively underground band for those with discriminating tastes in rock. And let it be known that LIMBO does indeed rock. The album has a brash attitude that I love and it comes through in Hersh's fantastically raw riffage as well as her unique voice.

The songs largely concern characters who are living a certain rough & tumble lifestyle - the "limbo" of the title - which can easily be interpreted as a druggie's way of life. Some characters are desperate, but many are recklessly carefree. There are other tunes dealing with relationships and lovers that are stunning and gorgeous.

I can see how some fans may prefer the Muses of old that they know and love, but I think their albums have generally gotten better and better over time (which says a lot since they were very good when they first started in their early teens). I love that early stuff, but later albums like RED HEAVEN rock harder and naturally have more confidence and maturity. LIMBO has got to be one of their best and may even be their masterpiece.

A lot of my musical tastes are pretty peculiar, I'll admit, though they aren't anything the avid Rolling Stone reader wouldn't be familiar with. That being said, I'm absolutely surprised that this album doesn't make more people's top 10s. I may be one of the few people who prefer Limbo to Sgt. Pepper's, but out of all the alternahype of the late eighties and early nineties, this album, for me, takes the clichés and makes them fresh. Plus, this was the once-final album of a band who invented many of those clichés (they've since a few more releases).

I haven't heard every Throwing Muses album yet, but this remains my favorite. It's even hard to pick out favorite or standout tracks. My favorites tend to change over the years (when I first bought it, I thought "Ruthie's Knocking" was the standout, now I lean toward "Freeloader" or "Tar Kissers"). Every song is well-written and beautifully arranged, even if some might believe it veers toward over-production. In truth, each one of Kristin's guitar or vocal parts fits seamlessly. Likewise, although the album's influences run from harder alterna-rock to pop to surf to funk or jazz, these influences are blended together into a sound that is pure Throwing Muses.

The 1996 album LIMBO was the Throwing Muses' last full-length release before entering on a long hiatus due to the unbearable expenses of keeping an indie rock act together. The line-up here is the 1990s "power-trio" of original Muses musicians Kristin Hersh on guitar and David Narcizo, along with Bernard Georges on bass. I found the album very disappointing from a band that has so often shown true greatness.

Somewhere before the recording of this album, Kristin Hersh's voice lost her charm. Her unpolished delivery had always lent authenticity to the savageness of her lyrics, but here she seems to have lost any of that ferocity. Instead, she sounds unmotivated and occasionally we get really weird, almost muppet-like intonations. That's a major blow against the album. Another flaw is the unimpressive songwriting, with the opening "Buzz" lacking direction and "Ruthie's Knocking" seeming like an attempt to write another "Bright Yellow Gun". And finally, the production is overly balanced towards the guitars. David Narcizo is one of the finest drummers in the history of rock, but here the power of his beats (which one can tell is buried there) is drowned out by unremarkable guitar fuzziness. About the only entirely satisfying movement here is "Shark", apparently an expression of rage at having to put up with an alcoholic. Possessing a fine structure and performed with awesome tightness, it ranks among the Muses finest songs. Is it worth it to buy an album just for a single song? "Shark" suggests that might be the case.

If you're new to Throwing Muses, I can't recommend enough their first four albums: the self-titled debut (1986), HOUSE TORNADO (1988), HUNKPAPA (1990), and THE REAL RAMONA (1991). Each is not entirely perfect, but solid enough, and put together they reveal a band of immense capability. The band lost its way with LIMBO, explore it after you're sure that you're a committed Muses fan.

Throwing Muses, with the quite talented Kristin Hersh, is one of my favorite bands, but this album didn't strike the same inner-chord University chimes with me. What can I say, maybe I'm just tired of only seeing album reviews by people who absolutely adore the album they are writing about. Limbo is very good, perhaps some of their tightest sounding music, but it doesn't have the same raw intensity of University or their earlier work. But don't let me discourage you...I own all of the Muses cds and all of Hersh's solo work. All are worth the listen.

If you're the sort of person who likes to sit and listen, really listen, to music then you won't be sorry for buying this. I've never read a reviewer who understood the Muses so don't listen to those people. The lyrics are not insane or delusional. They make perfect sense, but if you asked me what they meant I couldn't tell you (and wouldn't, even if I could). You'll have to listen to them yourself. The lyrics are inextricably intertwined with the music and neither can be analyzed outside the context of the other.

As with all the Muses' work that I've listened to, the songs on Limbo go straight to the subconscious. The associative connections between words have become more polished and the music wraps it all together very nicely.

I think most critics prefer music that makes you think, but this is music that makes you feel. It pulls at your heart and you're not sure why. No, not in a squishy hearts and flowers way. It's beauty and terror, sadness and bliss all at the same time. If you're afraid of your own emotions then this isn't for you.

The Throwing Muses were one of those rare bands who could do no wrong.

I love this album. It was the first that I bought by the Muses, and I haven't looked back. Some of their other work is a little less poppy, so this is a great to "break your self in"

Highly recommend it. 4 stars cause it aint up there with Sgt Peppers, but a must have for a rock fan.

It's quite difficult to convince someone today how important have the Throwing Muses been for rock - female and in general - throughout the 80's and the early 90's when never did important numbers of people buy their albums . Still , one could say it was meant to be that way and they were destined to become a cult secret between eclectic music listeners , all fascinated by dark things . Maybe then it's because of the fact that their music initially needs some extra energy and patience to get into . Occasional cd buyers who help Bon Jovi and Lenny Kravitz conquer the charts every now and then or people who listen music once in a while , during a ride in the car simply won't get what this band is about . Downloading isolated tracks for the internet simply won't do either . You have to buy their stuff , study them . Once you see the whole picture though you'll instantly get hooked .

Limbo now , is actually album number eight for the Boston band . Kristin Hersh had nothing to prove to nobody . Childhood friend David Narcizo was still on the drums sit . Ex guitarist Tanya Donelly was preparing for the release of her first solo album . Bassists Leslie Langston and Fred Abong had deceided to continue their lives outside the music business long time ago . Bernand Georges was now playing the four-chord instrument . In past efforts the Muses combined that sense of madness that had always been their trademark with power ( " University " ) , sorrow ( " Hunkpapa " ) and ethereal nature ( " The Real Ramona " ) . On Limbo they sound plain schizophrenic .

Many fans who adore them will simply be satisfied by watching Hersh , a strangely happy woman perfoming a grey, unhappy rock song in the video clip of " Ruthie's Knocking " . " Tango " ' s lyrical agenda ( " thank you for chaining me into bed / that was sweet " ) and cold , impersonal vocals are indicative of the record's mood . Not that the energy is not once again here and there are many good ideas to notice ( you would never have imagined how well a cello could fit in a rock tune like " Buzz " ) . You can tell that the songwritting is strong and that there's something special in there but often , it's simply unpleasant listening .

In conlusion , " Limbo " suffers from the same things which made Belly's " King " so problematic in the first place : it deserves respect for sounding messy by choice and carries the power of the mysterious personallity behind it but lacks the overall power to make it matter outside the artist's fanbase .