Purgatory/Paradise is a . . . gorgeous, interactive art book . . . Hersh’s lyrics and stories would make it a compelling read even without the music. (Boing Boing)
Purgatory/Paradise was devised both as a record and as a book, with essays by Hersh and art by Narcizo. It’s both a gorgeous standalone object . . . and a sort of decoder for the album’s tracks . . . (Pitchfork)
Nothing short of epic . . . wrenching, alarming, disturbing, and occasionally seasoned with bits of dark humor . . . . a stunning psychological ride. Like the most powerful of drugs. . . it’s the stuff addictions are made of. (American Songwriter, four stars)
Awesome. (Flavorwire)
Triumphant . . . fresh and expansive . . . What is clear is that this record, and book, which call into question what records and books and can and should do, how they can and should interact, still delivers in a basic, thrilling way. (Popmatters)
Art, essays and outstanding new music collide on a surreal Throwing Muses epic . . . a soul-stirring collection [of] musical mini-masterpieces accompanied by lyrical prose vignettes exuding the same nimble friskiness and wry, subversive brilliance that characterized Hersh’s fantastic 2010 memoir. (Magnet, nine out of ten stars)
Both brutal and magical . . . written with unimaginable warmth and such goofball humor, a perfectly imperfect encapsulation of what makes Hersh’s work so fortifying even as it devastates. (Popdose)
Praise for Kristin Hersh: “It’s almost impossible to imagine the visceral bleats of singers like Corin Tucker or Marissa Paternoster without Kristin Hersh.” (Pitchfork)
“Hersh is a fearless rock innovator.” (
New York Times)
“One of America’s finest songwriters.” (Simon Reynolds, author of
Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-84)
Praise for
Rat Girl:“Hersh has pretty much been to hell and back and lived to tell the tale...extremely well written.” (Huffington Post)
“Sensitive and emotionally raw... it’s also wildly funny.” (New York Times Book Review)
“With its reined in plot line and ethereal prose style,
Rat Girl reads more like a novel...apleasure to read.” (Slate)
“An original beauty.” (Mary Gaitskill, author of
Veronica and
Don't Cry)
“A thoroughly engrossing work by an original voice-hopefully the first of many.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))
Ms. Hersh’s prose delves into the memories that occasioned the songs, mingling tour incidents, childhood trauma, philosophical musings and hardheaded life lessons (The New York Times)