Crooked. Kristin Hersh

It is only about a year ago that Kristin Hersh re-entered my life with her inspired album 'Possible Dust Clouds'. In 2019 she releases a new album and at first listening I was immediately impressed. With fairly limited songs she and her musicians create a world full of tension and release.

Reading my review of the aforementioned album, I could sort of repeat it. At heart these are like minded albums. Inspirationally they seem to come from the same place. Having written these words, there is a strong necessity to add to them. Why?

On Crooked Kristin Hersh seems to take everything one step further. She rocks harder or is fully vulnerable in the songs. How is it that in the final song, 'Rubidoux' that is no more than a small riff being repeated over and over, yet she keeps my attention the whole time? Ending the album abruptly. Ending it like the sunset on the cover.

The album opens as if something goes wrong while playing the guitar. Like someone making a mistake in his slide towards a note. Ever so small, but discernable. The song continues, bare, elementary. Kristin Hersh starts singing with her voice that is clearly damaged, has aged. She never had an angelic voice, to be sure. It just worn out a bit more and fits the ragged music on Crooked perfectly. 'Moan' is slowly but surely flashed out. There's even a guitar with a flangy effect dubbed in. This is the most frolicking element of 'Moan'. Yet by the 30 seconds the song gets more impressive. The kind of song I do not want to stop (and luckily does at the right moment). It is the same few chords repeated over and over and they are more than enough here.

Promo photo

On Crooked Kristin Hersh manages successfully to rock, loud even, and to present alternative ballads where her voice and electric guitar have the centre stage. Nothing is smoothed over, made nicer. This is raw reality. Kristin Hersh confronting her demons as well as better features in her life. The layer of roughness and toughness is mixed with vulnerability in 'Fortune'. Everything comes together in this song it seems. It may well be the musical equivalent of her life. "You cost a fortune ... you cast a shadow today". She sings it with so much meaning and emotions, it must be one of the central lines on Crooked.

Not so long ago I wrote that 2019 so far was not exactly an impressive musical year. Just these past weeks I found that there's a strong need to revise that impression and Crooked is right in the middle of this all. What a great and strong album.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Crooked here:

https://kristinhershfire.bandcamp.com/album/crooked


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g