Search - Throwing Muses :: House Tornado

Addictive and beautiful

landru141 | Planet Houston | 08/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the Ep cassette of "The Fat Skier" based on an interview in some low-rent alternative rock rag of the day. I remember reading how they would mock the then popular song of the day (won't name names) and think "These girls have something going on ..." When I bought the Ep I was really intrigued by the difficult nature of the music. Its complex and really simple at the same time, which while it might not impact you immediately, has a tendency to grow on you. So much so that I played that thing over and over and over ...



When House Tornado was released, I must have gotten it the first week of its release. No one I knew had a clue who this band were, but this album has remained one of my favorites for years and years. Kristin Hersh's lyrics are so impossible to understand, like some synaesthesias (A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.) nightmare vision of the tedium of daily life. Words and phrases that seem just thrown together that create an image in your mind. Add to that mixture Tonya Donnely's cute oddities, the feminine power of the band is undeniable. Until this time, I had wondered (in my post-feminist way) why there weren't any good girl rockers. The Throwing Muses are an example to them all. A real artist's approach to music.



Even today ... as I'm writing this in 2005 ... I am playing "House Tornado" continuously in my car. Normally I'll move on after an album ends, but this is one of those records that just demands continuous play. Almost as if it has no end or beginning and no matter how hard you try, you can never get to the bottom of the music to find a place where you can sum it up and put it away.



These two records will always be favorites of mine."

Something worth noting.

c0aX | Austin, Texas | 02/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought The Fat Skier EP on vinyl back in the mid 80's & liked & listened to it alot. I'd still be playing that vinyl, but my cartridge is shot. So I was very happy to see it come out on the CD along with House Tornado.



I ordered it almost immediately. It wasn't until I had it in my hands though, that I was shocked & very disappointed to notice that my favorite song off of the EP was not included. Soul Soldier is NOT on this release. Though I am happy to get House Tornado which I had never heard, I honestly don't know if I would've bought it had I noticed beforehand that Soul Soldier was missing from the EP.



I did a quick scan of the other reviews & didn't notice any of them mentioning this fact, & I thought it worth mentioning."