University (album)
| University | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 16, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | October 1993–October 1994, Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, LA | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 48:32 | |||
| Label | 4AD[1] Sire/Reprise[2] | |||
| Producer | Throwing Muses | |||
| Throwing Muses chronology | ||||
| ||||
University is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band Throwing Muses, released in 1995.[3][4] It contains the single "Bright Yellow Gun", the band's first national hit.
The album peaked at No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart; it peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart.[5][6] Sales were too low for Sire, and the band was dropped from its roster, ending the Muses' major label years.
Production[edit]
The album was recorded in the fall of 1993, right before lead Muse Kristin Hersh recorded her first solo album, Hips and Makers. 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell convinced Hersh to release the solo album first, in early 1994; University was delayed until 1995. The band's former roadie, Bernard Georges, played bass on the album.[7]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[9] |
| Knoxville News Sentinel | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
The Independent called University "a gorgeous album in parts: it's the most tuneful, coherent and least witchy music Hersh has yet delivered in her Muses hat."[12] The Knoxville News Sentinel deemed "Bright Yellow Gun" a "too-traditional rocker."[10] The Boston Globe determined that the album "finds the band and Hersh in good, raw form, mixing up formally inventive songs with sidelong hooks and expressionistic lyrics."[13]
Track listing[edit]
All songs by Kristin Hersh.
- "Bright Yellow Gun" – 3:43
- "Start" – 2:47
- "Hazing" – 3:14
- "Shimmer" – 3:14
- "Calm Down, Come Down" – 1:48
- "Crabtown" – 4:20
- "No Way in Hell" – 4:44
- "Surf Cowboy" – 2:45
- "That's All You Wanted" – 3:26
- "Teller" – 2:52
- "University" – 2:12
- "Snakeface" – 3:29
- "Flood" – 3:14
- "Fever Few" – 6:44
References[edit]
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
- ^ "Throwing Muses". Trouser Press. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Throwing Muses Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Throwing Muses". NPR.
- ^ "THROWING MUSES". Official Charts. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Heatseekers". Billboard. 107 (5): 26. February 4, 1995.
- ^ Segretto, Mike. "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute: A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999". Rowman & Littlefield – via Google Books.
- ^ "Throwing Muses – University Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "University". EW.com.
- ^ a b Campbell, Chuck (January 13, 1995). "Hersh finds her old muse on 'University'". Detours. Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 3.
- ^ Throwing Muses: University : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone
- ^ Coleman, Nick (January 13, 1995). "Kristin Hersh hoiks her songs from the closets of her unconscious". MUSIC/POP. The Independent. p. 24.
- ^ Gilbert, Matthew (January 19, 1995). "THROWING MUSES UNIVERSITY". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 16.
