January and February are often the months where the music industry takes a nice, big holiday and nothing gets released. I still remember one year where it seemed all there was on the release schedule for January was Victoria Williams’ Musings of a Creekdipper. I’m sure it’s a decent album (I’ve still got an MP3 of “Train Song” around here somewhere) but one album isn’t exactly something to get excited about unless you love Victoria Williams. So I don’t really bother buying any albums or even paying much attention to what’s in the stores in the first part of the year; like a grizzly bear, I don’t come out of hibernation until March or April, at which point I’ll maybe start to think about what I missed last year.

So imagine my surprise when I come out of the cave and realize I’ve already missed a couple of things. I previously posted about the Bird and the Bee; that came out in January, apparently. And of course there’s the massive buzz surrounding the Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, an album I’ve seen leaked so many times that it feels like it’s just always been around. But aside from new discoveries and old heavyweights, there’s an album I didn’t really expect: a new Kristin Hersh album. And yet here it is, How to Sing Like a Star, with the glossiest looking cover I’ve ever seen on a Kristin Hersh album. It is, apparently, a hint as to what lays inside the packaging.

Hersh’s releases over the past couple of years have split into quiet, folky solo albums and loud, raucous band albums, starting with 2003’s twin release of the last (though perhaps not final?) Throwing Muses album and a solo album, The Grotto. Since then, Hersh’s quiet side has stayed noticeably quiet, while her loud side has all but taken over; with the Muses reunion sufficiently sorted, Hersh went on to form 50 Foot Wave and attempt to destroy her voice through artful yelling and screaming. Perhaps it makes sense, then, that as 50 Foot Wave got louder and more aggressive, so too should her solo work; How to Sing Like a Star leaves The Grotto and Strange Angels behind for a dynamic more closely approaching the Muses. If leadoff track “In Shock” is any indication, Hersh has also polished things up quite a bit, with an elaborate arrangement including a string section.

Anyways, I’ve got some catching up to do; Learn to Sing Like a Star came out at the end of January. Me, I’m just happy to hear there’s a Kristin Hersh album that veers away from the occasional self-parody of The Grotto. If you’re a fan of the Muses, don’t let this sneak under your radar.