Golden Ocean (2005)

8

Long Painting / Bone China / Pneuma / Clara Bow / Petal / Dog Days / Sally Is a Girl / El Dorado / Ginger Park / Diving / Golden Ocean

"You know what… you know what… you know what… SHUT THE FUCK UUUUUUUUUUPPPP!!!" The above line single-handedly became the most visceral, intense and ass-kicking line I heard on any new album this year. It's immediately also quite an indication of what you can expect from 50 Foot Wave, Kristin Hersh's new band. Even though she's been around for two decades by now and runs a household with four children, 50 Foot Wave isn't merely a one-off as Hersh, accompanied by ex-Throwing Muses bass player Bernard Georges and drummer Rob Ahlers, intended to release EP's and perform concerts at a steady pace. Last year already witnessed the debut EP from the band (from which three songs are replicated here) and Golden Ocean continues the incendiary direction of said EP with success. And what direction might that be? Well, suffice it to say that most Throwing Muses-fans would stare wide-eyed in disbelief if they'd hear this and that those who discovered Hersh's softer (acoustic) solo projects ("Your Ghost" was a moderate hit, remember?) in the 90's are even likely to be shocked, because this is no longer the sensitive lady-singer/songwriter at work. Instead, you get a fierce rock 'n' roll beast with more balls than a 16-piece big band and a wall of sound that lives up to the promise of the band's name. Golden Ocean doesn't contain the classy college rock her first band became popular with - instead, it balances between nicotine-stained punk-rock and ferocious guitar-oriented indie-rock. Imagine a combination of Hüsker Dü, Nirvana and Sleater-Kinney and you're getting close. However, in reality it sounds even better, as Hersh has never had a backing as sympathetic as this one - each member ultimately serving the end result. The album clocks in under 38 minutes and the sheer intensity and palpable sincerity never let up: this is music played from the gut and so direct that it almost resembles a physical sensation. Of course, there's much more extreme music around, but it's been a while since I've heard a singer giving her all in such a commanding way. It ain't pretty - Hersh's voice is coarse, raw and almost unrecognisable, but the way she spits out those lyrics or shifts from a loud bellow to a full-throttle roar ("Petal") is nothing but exhilarating. The lyrics are still top-notch, but no one would have expected a "Shut the fuck up" on a Muses-record, right?. Here, it works well as an accompaniment to the massive pounding that the music conjures up. The first album half is pure gold, from the rumbling intro of "Long Painting" to the ending of "Dog Days," it's 20 minutes of getting your ass kicked. Hersh's guitar playing is powerful, distinctive and amazingly diverse in sound (again, reminiscent of the 'Bob Mould-Kurt Cobain-Joey Santiago'-axis), while Georges and Ahlers are given much more prominence than you would expect. They do a terrific job at it, although Ahlers is the one that steals the show with his all-over-the-place drum work that's pushed to the forefront, making the uncompromising attack even more forceful. It's hard to point out highlights, as the album's one cohesive blast, but perhaps the opening track and "Clara Bow" - which, along with "Dog Days," is the closest to Hersh's previous band - will become favorites, as well as the plodding "Petal" with its truly fantastic chorus and the raucous thunder "Pneuma". The album's second half is a bit less stellar and the continuing barrage of shouted vocals and discordant music might become a bit exhausting if you're not use to get a beating once in a while, but speaking for myself, I can only say that after a week of intense listening, I'm still surprised by the music's fervour. At age 41, Hersh is living her second youth, sounds more confident than ever and proves that growing up in public doesn't have to result in risk-less and easily digestible pap. Kristin Hersh rocks! Kristin Hersh for President! SHUT THE FUCK UUUUUUUUUUUUPPP!!!!

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