Kristin Hersh - Hips And Makers

Hips & Makers takes us back to a great time for independent guitar music. The debut album from Kirstin Hersh is deceptively quiet and unarguably powerful, predominantly made up of acoustic numbers that really speak to how strong the rock-folk crossover was at this point. Adding the inimitable voice of REM's Michael Stipe to the opening track, 'Your Ghost', only accentuates this. A million miles from 'twee', while things here are often set at a volume that encourages reflection, in other moments they explode into an earthen celebration of passion and energy. Almost carnal. 'A Loon' and its campfire yelps and whoops, 'Close Your Eyes' with its rousing chorus invoking resilience and resistance. Even the sparseness of 'The Letter' makes a huge impact.