136) Belly - Star

Tanya Donnelly has been active since 1981 forming Throwing Muses with her half-sister, Kristin Hersh, also being involved with ex Pixie Kim Deal in The Breeders, that’s a good enough legacy for most people but on top of that she has released several solo albums and just for good measure she also has reformed her third band Belly and released a new album with them in 2018.

This was Belly’s first album, and most successful, and was released thirty years ago. I bought the CD single (remember them!!) of Feed The Tree as I had heard it and loved the brooding riff and powerful drums. Being requested to review this album reminded me instantly of that song but also made me realise I had never listened to the album. Another error in a life littered with them.

Opener Someone to Die For is a low-key start, its haunting and an odd start but nothing wrong with that. Angel and Dusted are both up-tempo songs with rousing drums and a nice loud guitar and Every Word allows us to breath but there are interesting guitars behind Donnelly’s voice.

Gepetto was a single, nice riff again, but does not really engage me and Witch is a minor interlude.

This is a record of riffs for me, my weakness, Slow Dog has me from the start, a glorious mix of guitars and a burrow in your head chorus and special mention to Low Red Moon, Star and Sad Dress.

I would have cut Untogether and Stay from the record, not terrible songs but they make the albums momentum drop but that’s a minor quibble.

Another album I could have been enjoying for the last thirty years. I better live to a ripe old age to enjoy all these records I have missed.

7/10  

GIVE IT A STREAM: Slow Dog