Star (1993)
I’ve heard these songs described as fairy tales, set to music. That sounds beautiful to me, and for at least some of them it’s quite true. Tanya Donelly certainly has some sort of gift for writing, and the songs she writes (all by herself, except for one) are pretty, enchanting, and hooky. There isn’t a single great song here. There isn’t a single bad one, either.
(“Dusted”, “Slow Dog”, “Feed The Tree”)
Grade: A-
2010: Dreams that don’t fade with time…and “Feed The Tree” IS great.
Grade: A
King (1995)
I used to hate this album, as much for itself as for the fact that it wasn’t ‘Star’- Part Two. But I’ve outgrown that. What we have here is a decent follow-up. Tanya Donelly’s voice remains, but her songwriting skills are a bit fleeting here. The best song on the album is co-written with another band member, and several others are as well. Democracy in action? The band gelling together? Maybe. Or maybe she just ran out of tunes after ‘Star’.
(“Super-Connected”)
Grade: B