Kristin Hersh – “Constance Street”
Next month, Kristin Hersh, the great singer-songwriter and longtime Throwing Muses leader, will release her new solo album Clear Pond Road. We’ve already posted Hersh’s stark, striking songs “Dandelion” and “Ms Haha,” and now Hersh has also shared “Constance Street,” a new track named after the New Orleans street where she once lived.
“Constance Street” starts out simple and propulsive, with Hersh singing over strummed acoustic guitars and tambourines. The song’s orchestration gradually grows more intense and layered, with lightly discordant woodwinds and strings filling the song’s empty spaces.
As with every Kristin Hersh song, though, the true special effect of “Constance Street” is Hersh’s voice itself. She’s got a beautiful, discomfiting coo, and she sounds like nobody else on the planet. I’ve had out-of-body experiences watching Hersh sing live, and the way she layers her multi-tracked vocals on “Constance Street” demands to be heard. Hear it below.
Clear Pond Road is out 9/8 on Fire Records.