Kristin Hersh, best known for her work with seminal '90s alt-rockers Throwing Muses, has enjoyed a varied, if not enigmatic, career. She tasted mainstream success with the Muses' essential, The Real Ramona (Sire, 1999), which featured Hersh's quirky, occasionally jarring vocals, and the odd song structures of the Muses' first albums. However, it also contained the group's most accessible songs and most mature songwriting to date. From there, the Muses scored another big hit with "Bright Yellow Gun," from their University release (Sire, 1995).
Hersh has recently switched gears to focus on a solo career that began in 1994. In contrast to the jangling rock of Throwing Muses, much of her solo work is introspective and folky. She is also the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rollicking power-trio, Los Angeles-based 50 Foot Wave (that features long time Muses bass player, Bernard Georges), which sounds more like Joan Jett than Throwing Muses. There are very few artists who are able to dabble in so many different sounds while maintaining such a strong musical identity. Hersh has been able to do so because all of her projects feature signature, ephemeral melodies and unrelenting passion.