''University'' is an album by the American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Throwing Muses Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originall ...

, released in 1995. It contains the single " Bright Yellow Gun", the band's first national hit. The album peaked at No. 10 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

; it peaked at No. 10 on ''Billboards Heatseekers Albums chart. Sales were too low for Sire, and the band was dropped from its roster, ending the Muses' major label years.

Production

The album was recorded in the fall of 1993, right before lead Muse

Kristin Hersh Kristin may refer to: * Kristin (name), a Scandinavian form of Christine * ''Kristin'' (TV series), a 2001 American sitcom * Kristin Peak, Antarctica * Kristin School Kristin School is a private co-educational composite school located in Alb ...

recorded her first solo album, '' Hips and Makers''. 4AD founder

Ivo Watts-Russell Ivo Watts-Russell (born 1954) is a British music producer and record label executive. He was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the indie record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director". Ea ...

convinced Hersh to release the solo album first, in early 1994; ''University'' was delayed until 1995. The band's former roadie,

Bernard Georges Bernard Georges (born March 29, 1965) is best known for his bass guitar work in Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave. Beginning in 1992, he played bass for Throwing Muses on their album releases and in their concert appearances, having previously work ...

, played bass on the album.

Critical reception

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' called ''University'' "a gorgeous album in parts: it's the most tuneful, coherent and least witchy music Hersh has yet delivered in her Muses hat." The '' Knoxville News Sentinel'' deemed "Bright Yellow Gun" a "too-traditional rocker." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' determined that the album "finds the band and Hersh in good, raw form, mixing up formally inventive songs with sidelong hooks and expressionistic lyrics."

Track listing

All songs by

. #" Bright Yellow Gun" – 3:43 #"Start" – 2:47 #"Hazing" – 3:14 #"Shimmer" – 3:14 #"Calm Down, Come Down" – 1:48 #"Crabtown" – 4:20 #"No Way in Hell" – 4:44 #"Surf Cowboy" – 2:45 #"That's All You Wanted" – 3:26 #"Teller" – 2:52 #"University" – 2:12 #"Snakeface" – 3:29 #"Flood" – 3:14 #"Fever Few" – 6:44

References

{{Authority control Throwing Muses albums 1995 albums 4AD albums Reprise Records albums Sire Records albums