This LP is such an unassuming little thing that calling it the best album of the month feels like a stretch. 10 songs, 36 minutes, Kristin Hersh doing her usual manic depressive rock'n'roll. In a way, too slight. In a way, what more can you possibly wish.
It would be true to say that you are unlikely to stumble upon this album by accident and if you do actually have it in your headphones, it means that at some point in your life you fell under the spell of Throwing Muses' eponymous debut or else Kristin's Hips and Makers (may I just stress one more time that "Me and My Charms" is one of the greatest songs ever written). It means you have been here all along, and you know it hasn't been a smooth journey by any stretch of the imagination. All the more recently, because while 2013's Purgatory/Paradise was patchy in the best possible way, I struggled to find a standout tune on the endless Wyatt at the Coyote Place from 2016.
Thankfully, Possible Dust Clouds is focused songwriting and no real filler. The songs are tasteful, edgy and charismatic. Some are propelled by masterful, intense grooves ("Lethe") and some are relatively subtle and feature Kristin's quieter side that I wish was a little more prominent (I absolutely love the first half of "Fox Point"). The guitarwork is heavy and delicious, the vocals are rough and charming. I wouldn't exactly call these songs hook-filled, but then you never did think "Delicate Cutters" had a catchy melody...
Kristin Hersh's songwriting is often murky yet it has so much suppressed melodicism bubbling underneath. Possible Dust Clouds is a modest triumph, and nothing but a half-hour outburst from one of rock music's most idiosyncratic artists. There could be a troubled personality there, but it translates beautifully into music.
