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- Date Released: January 1, 1998
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative
- Label: 4AD
Shock-a-bye Baby: Kristen Hersh sings an uneasy bedtime.
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We Say...
Forget those Rockabye Baby! renditions of Tool and Metallica songs: Here’s a foolproof way to give the rugrats the real night terrors. “I’ve a short time to be here with you and a long time to be gone,” sings the Throwing Muses frontwoman, ever so sweetly, to a “Little Birdy.” By the time she gets to the final tune on this collection of creepy lullabies, we half-expect her “Whole Heap of Little Horses” to be just that — a heap of carcasses. Traditional murder ballads like “Pretty Polly” and “Banks of the Ohio” are all the more chilling for the blithe way the diminutive singer delivers their tales of shunned lovers and shallow graves. If songs are how she channels “ugly feelings” into art, as Hersh has said, these ugly feelings are evidently universal, or darn near. “Every time the baby cries, stick my finger in the baby’s eyes,” she lilts, not without amusement.
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They Say...
By listening to interpretations of the Appalachian folk songs that Pa Hersh played for her six year-old daughter prior to nighty night, the explanation as to how Kristin Hersh became such an exceptional songwriter becomes increasingly clear. Her dark humor -- alternating between frightening and hilarious with a creepy level of dexterity -- is showcased on Murder, Misery and then Goodnight. "What'll We Do With the Baby-O" sounds inoffensive enough just going by the title, and the music is deceptively bouncy and playful. But wow -- give a listen to the lyrics! "Every time the baby cries, stick my finger in the baby's eyes/ Every time he starts to grin, give the baby a bottle of gin." Liquor is a common theme, given especially blurry focus on the first-person tale "Three Nights Drunk." But really, the subjects are more well-rounded than the title indicates. It's not as if every song here is capable of spooking youngsters. Or you, for that matter. Most could totally miss the words, given Hersh's calming voice. Each of these songs are traditional, with arrangements coming from the artist. Her acoustic work is spectacular as ever, and she's accompanied by her son Ryder on backing vocals and piano. So she's truly passing the songs to the next generation. It's doubtless that young Ryder will be able to pass these songs down to his kids, but whether or not you would want to depends on how playfully twisted you are as a parent. Few could do these songs as well as Hersh. Though not as essential as her "regular" records, it deserves official release; 4AD released it as part of their limited mail-order series in 1998. It might not exactly be Soothing Sounds for Baby, but Murder is still a sinister, lulling pre-slumber treat.
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| 01. |  |
Down in the Willow Garden |
4:54 |
|
| 02. | |
I Never Will Marry |
2:31 |
|
| 03. | |
Sweet Roseanne |
3:02 |
|
| 04. | |
Poor Ellen Smith |
2:10 |
|
| 05. | |
Pretty Polly |
2:05 |
|
| 06. | |
Little Birdy |
2:13 |
|
| 07. | |
Mama's Gonna Buy |
2:19 |
|
| 08. | |
Fly Around My Blue Eyed Girl |
1:21 |
|
| 09. | |
Banks of the Ohio |
3:36 |
|
| 10. | |
Three Nights Drunk |
2:00 |
|
| 11. | |
What'll We Do with the Baby-O |
2:19 |
|
| 12. | |
Whole Heap of Little Horses |
2:49 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 31:19 Total Length
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Credits
- Kristin Hersh - Guitar // Kristin Hersh - Vocals // Kristin Hersh - Producer // Kristin Hersh - Main Performer // David Narcizo - Design // David Narcizo - Cover Art // Ryder James O'Connell - Piano // Ryder James O'Connell - Vocals (Background) // Steve Rizzo - Engineer // Steve Rizzo - Assistant Producer // John Patrick Salisbury - Photography // Billy O'Connell - Assistant Producer
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