Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).
Counting Backwards (1991)
Living not too far from Boston in the '80s and '90s was pretty great for its proximity to interesting music. There was a lot going on with the alternative scene in New England, not just in Boston but also in nearby Rhode Island.
Throwing Muses were formed in Newport, Rhode Island, by high schoolers Kristin Hersh and her stepsister Tanya Donelly. Originally known as Kristin Hersh and the Muses, the band included bassist Elaine Adamedes and drummer Becca Blumen; the rhythm section was later replaced by Leslie Langston on bass and David Narcizo on drums. Narcizo had played marching and concert drums, but had never played a drum kit before joining the band; he borrowed a kit that didn't have cymbals so he learned to play that way initially.
Hersh wrote and sang the majority of the songs, with Donelly contributing songs and lead vocals on occasion. The band's sound was a moving target, switching between jangly folk, post punk and harder rock, with complex rhythms and lyrics.
Throwing Muses self-released a self-titled EP in 1984 and a collection of demos in 1985, the latter of which featured "Sinkhole," which became a hit on college radio. The band then moved to Boston and recorded a self-titled debut album, which in 1986 became the first American album released by British label 4AD. The Pixies opened for the Muses when they toured the UK for the first time.
They released two EPs in 1987 and then the 1988 album House Tornado, which was released on Sire/Reprise in the U.S. The Muses released Hunkpapa in 1989. In the Boston area, the band got airplay on stations like WFNX and WBCN. Langston left the band in 1990 and was replaced by Fred Abong; the new lineup recorded The Real Ramona, which had a more commercial sound. Around the same time, Donelly also teamed up with Kim Deal of Pixies on a side project called the Breeders, which released the album Pod in 1990; it was very much a Deal deal, and Donelly was only on that album.
"Counting Backwards" was propelled by Narcizo's powerful drumming and the chiming vocals and guitars of Hersh and Donelly.
"Counting backwards I count you in/I don't remember him/I don't remember/Counting backwards, I count you in/I don't remember him/I don't remember/In time I rope you in again/I try and burn you back through him/I built a tower in my bones/I spill the mortar through my home."
The song has a psych-rock feel that swirls throughout along with Hersh's and Donelly's vocals.
"Don't let your heartbeat keep you safe/No telling what keeps me awake/One hundred fingerprints I hear/A hundred linger in my ear/Counting backwards, I count you in/I don't remember him/I don't remember."
The song got airplay on alternative and college radio, as well as on MTV's 120 Minutes. The Real Ramona hit #26 on the U.K. Albums Chart.
After the tour for The Real Ramona, Donelly and Abong left the Muses to form Belly, which went on to have some mainstream success for a few years in the '90s. Throwing Muses continued on as a trio, with Bernard Georges replacing Abong. They released the 1992 album Red Heaven, which included Bob Mould singing a duet with Hersh on the song "Dio." Hersh released her first solo album, the acoustic Hips and Makers, in 1994, featuring "Ghost," a terrific duet with Michael Stipe. The Muses had recorded their next album, University, in 1993 but the release was delayed until 1995; the album scored a minor hit with "Bright Yellow Gun."
The following year, the band released their seventh album, Limbo; they toured for the album (I saw them downstairs at the Middle East in Cambridge on this tour) and then Hersh ended the band to work on solo projects. Hersh continued releasing solo albums and was one of the first artists to offer a download-subscription service.
In 2003, Throwing Muses returned with a new album, also called Throwing Muses. It featured Donelly on backing vocals, Georges on bass and Narcizo on drums, and was released at the same time as Hersh's solo album The Grotto. Hersh also formed 50FootWave, which played louder, heavier songs. Throwing Muses released Purgatory/Paradise in 2013 and toured in 2014 with Donelly opening the East Coast shows. The band's latest album was 2020's Sun Racket. Since then, Hersh has continued to record music and tour as a solo artist.
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