Product Description

HIPS AND MAKERS is the first solo outing from Kristen Hersh, frontwoman and singer-songwriter of Throwing Muses, the seminal '80s alt-rock group. Whereas Muses records prove that Hersh can imbue her dark, singular vision with enough edgy sonic aggression to garner underground kudos, this disc explores her softer, more lyrical tendencies. The album is whollyacoustic, augmented throughout with bass, guitar overdubs, and tasteful string arrangements. Such instrumentation perfectly suits Hersh's web-like song structures and her gift foraching melodicism.
As one expects from Hersh, the album is anything but soothing. Poetic, often highly metaphorical lyrics voiced in eerie refrains float through angular, spiraling chord progressions. "Your Ghost", a duet with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, is a masterpiece of haunted love that lingersin the listener's brain like a dream. Such songs as "Sundrops" and "Me And My Charms" are charged with a fearful intensity, revealing the fine line between rage and deep emotionalpain. Part of Hersh's appeal is her ability to convey both despair and beauty. "Velvet Days", a love poem to her child and one of Hersh's loveliest songs, is a shining example of the latter. HIPS AND MAKERS is a fierce, moving, and beautiful collection of songs by a wonderful and often overlooked artist.

Track Listing

1. Your Ghost
2. Beestung
3. Teeth
4. Sundrops
5. Sparky
6. Houdini Blues
7. Loon
8. Velvet Days
9. Close Your Eyes
10. Me And My Charms
11. Tuesday Night
12. Letter
13. Lurch
14. Cuckoo
15. Hips And Makers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9925 in Music
• Released on: 1993-12-31
• Number of discs: 1

From Amazon.com
In 1994, Kristin Hersh took a sabbatical from her beloved and beleaguered Throwing Muses to record her first solo album, Hips and Makers. Mostly acoustic, entirely personal, Hips' songs touch the core of Hersh's daily life, specifically as it involves her husband and family, topics she rarely explored with her band. Produced by ex-Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, Hips and Makers infuses the singer/songwriter tradition with a jolt of complexity and authority. Hersh still favors the taut, stream of consciousness lyrics she whittled down to the bone with the Muses, but she never veers into confessional "dear diary" territory, although she does allow peeks into a world where clotheslines, bee stings, and the occasional ghost aren't unusual. Musically more measured and clearly quieter than any Muses disc, Hips showcases Hersh's fluttery voice atop powerful acoustic guitar with flourishes from cello and piano. "Your Ghost," the album's moody and dazzling opener, features backup vocals by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and sets the tone for the album: like a family, it's happy on the surface, intriguing when explored. --Shawn Stewart

Customer Reviews

A cut above
I can´t help adding my voice to the long list of praise that so many people have given this record.
This was without doubt one of the finest recordings of the nineties and probably didn´t reach a wider audience only because of the vogue for male-dominated guitar bands at the time.
I was never a fan of Hersh´s band Throwing Muses. It wasn´t that I didn´t like them, I just found them harmless and unremarkable. Then I remember her previewing tracks for this album on the radio one night. Alone she was suddenly a completely different prospect. Her songwriting was richer and she learned how to be spiteful and sing with malice, something that I´d never seen her do before.
This collection of bare, haunting songs continue to captivate me. Michael Stipe serves as a perfect foil on the bewitching,"Your Ghost." My favourite track has to be the bullish,towerng "Me and my Charms." This blends excellently with sweet melodies like,"Velvet Days."
Kristin Hersh has a fantastic vocal range and on this record she also shows herself to be a very able guitarist. She doesn´t need anyone playing along with her, solo she finds the bare emotion that mark this out as truly something special.
If you want to get your hands on a little piece of lost magic, discover this.

Blast from the past
I had this album back in the early 90's and loved it and then for some unknown reason it disappeared from my life. Having found it again I don't know how I could not have missed this stunningly haunting album. Hersh's lyrics take you to another place, a solitary yet warm place, I'm not one for blubbing but this album brings a tear to my eye along with a shed load of memories. It's just a great album!

Ignore anyone who says this isn't a classic.
I was surprised to see a couple of reviews down here with less than five stars. It's a classic, and it stands the test of time. Yes this album is mainly acoustic guitars and vocals. Therein lies its strength and unity. And I would not compare this to Tori Amos. Kristin Kersh is in a completely different league. I cannot recommend this album highly enough.