Purgatory/Paradise
by Throwing Muses
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Magnet
    Nov 27, 2013
    90
    It's a soul-stirring collection of Real Ramona/University-grade musical mini-masterpieces accompanied by lyrical prose vignettes exuding the same nimble friskiness and wry, subversive brilliance that characterized Hersh's fantastic 2010 memoir Rat Girl. [No. 104, p.58]
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  2. Boston Globe
    Dec 10, 2013
    80
    The album was 33 songs a year ago, and it’s 32 now, yet it unfurls cohesively like a film.
  3. American Songwriter
    Nov 25, 2013
    80
    Like the most powerful of drugs, it will initially make you feel queasy. But once that passes, there’s a tangible bliss to be had... it’s the stuff addictions are made of.
  5. Mojo
    Nov 25, 2013
    80
    Hersh still transmits a visionary quality through her songs, her writing only adding to the sense of compulsion. [Dec 2013, p.88]
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  6. AllMusic
    Nov 15, 2013
    80
    Every part of Purgatory/Paradise has meaning for the band and its listeners, making it a satisfying artifact in a time when music is becoming increasingly disposable. May they ever go against the grain.
  7. Pitchfork
    Nov 15, 2013
    80
    Purgatory/Paradise really is unlike anything I’ve heard this year.
  8. The New York Times
    Dec 3, 2013
    70
    Some of the music is unplugged but scrappy, with shifting meters and the grit in Ms. Hersh’s voice; they’re more scuffle than skiffle.
  9. Uncut
    Nov 20, 2013
    70
    A stripped-down production adds intimacy, though Hersh's voice isn't quite as strong as it once was. [Dec 2013, p.74]
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  10. PopMatters
    Nov 15, 2013
    70
    Throwing Muses is back or it never left and it doesn’t matter which. Because while this borrows from all eras of the band’s long history, it’s got its own tense seething, it’s own structure, it’s own curiosities and, finally, it’s own impact.
  11. The Guardian
    Nov 15, 2013
    60
    They're quieter and less raging than they were, but retain the nagging pull of their creator's creative disturbance.
  12. Consequence
    Nov 15, 2013
    60
    Purgatory/Paradise is a mixed bag, and while it lives up more to the first half of its title than the latter, its best moments still prove worthy of the wait.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. listener
    Mar 4, 2017
    9
    This album deserved more praise,probably their best since debut.32 (short) songs may seem a lot to proceed but they are all pretty much great-This album deserved more praise,probably their best since debut.32 (short) songs may seem a lot to proceed but they are all pretty much great- mini masterpieces as someone rightfully called them and the album flow is wonderful.… Full Review »
  2. JBBu
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    Without a doubt this album is the best of 2013 in my book. The Throwing Muses have always been a favourite since their stunning self-titledWithout a doubt this album is the best of 2013 in my book. The Throwing Muses have always been a favourite since their stunning self-titled debut and early EPs. However, I have always been waiting for the same thrill I had from this early work with many disappointments. All subsequent albums had some great songs, but they also had too much filler and ultimately let me down. Now the contender for their best recording has arrived with a mature hard edged, but folky epic. Evidence of this magnificent return to form have been emerging with Hersh’s recent solo and 50Foot Wave recordings. (Several songs here also appeared on Hersh’s last solo works, but these are superior versions.) I buy about 100 downloads a year, and listen to many more. This one still is by far my favourite.… Full Review »
  3. RoxanneWalsh
    Apr 11, 2021
    10
    While Purgatory/Paradise is just the name of a street junction in their town, it also describes the extremes that the songs/snippetsWhile Purgatory/Paradise is just the name of a street junction in their town, it also describes the extremes that the songs/snippets consonantly take you to - not just between songs but sometimes even within a single short tune like Morning Birds 1. The number of tracks and the album length already signal ambition, even more the single songs. But the sum is in fact much larger than the small parts and when listened to in sequence, it all starts to make sense.… Full Review »
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