THE STEALTHY COMEBACK OF THROWING MUSES

(Triple Door) In contrast with high-profile comebacks from college-radio favorites the Replacements and Slint, Throwing Muses made more of a stealth return, which is ironic since 2013's Purgatory/Paradise, their first full-length in 10 years, ranks among their finest. Maybe it's because Kristin Hersh never really went away—unlike her half-sister and ex-band mate, Tanya Donelly, who virtually disappeared after the dissolution of Belly. Since the 1990s, Hersh has co-founded a non-profit and released several books and solo albums. There was a time when it seemed as if mental illness might swallow her whole, but over time, she learned to tame that beast. Along with the Breeders’ Kim Deal, she could use more credit for breaking into the boys club of alternative rock and making an indelible mark. KATHY FENNESSY
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FATHER MURPHY'S RITUALISTIC BAD VIBES

(Lo-Fi) The songs of Italian duo Father Murphy (Freddie Murphy and Chiara Lee) carry the stern, forehead-vein-throbbing majesty of recent recordings by Swans and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but there’s something more unpredictable and whimsical fluttering in Father Murphy’s sonic DNA. Their vocals have both a ritualistic solemnity and an unhinged quality that continually keeps you off-balance. The new EP, Pain Is on Our Side Now, is a masterpiece of brooding menace and suspenseful dynamics, a stark, industrial song cycle that conjures images of Einstürzende Neubauten collaborating with Current 93 or NON remixing Death in June. This music leaves scary scars. With Family Curse and Blue Sabbath Black Cheer. DAVE SEGAL
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HELLA MAZE & THE FLAGRANT FEW'S NOT QUITE HELLA AMAZING RAPS

(Nectar) Hella Maze & the Flagrant Few's ambition is admirable, at least. Their new album, The Break Up, contains 21 tracks (only one’s a skit!) of West Coast street rap and up-with-us braggadocio. Problem is, the tunes can't cash the checks Maze & the Flagrant Few's mouths are writing. Tinny synths and drum machines provide an adequately lo-fi take on old-school Cash Money-style thrift-shop beats, but the flow on display shows none of the pimped pomp nor that crew's outsize charisma. Familiar tales of popping molly, dealing drugs, and riding in Benzes roll endlessly along, with nary a punch line landed ("your boy's fly without a plane" being a prime example.) There's a few nicely spacey productions, and a few funny WTF choruses ("show me your Reggie Bush"), but on the whole the product can't back the swagger. KYLE FLECK
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And here's all our recommended music events—tonight, tomorrow, next weekend, and beyond!