In August of 1986, 4AD released the self-titled debut album from Rhode Island's Throwing Muses, triggering astonishing reviews, as if music writers could scarcely believe what they were hearing.To celebrate it's 40th anniversary, knowing the impact and longevity of the band - Kristin Hersh, Tanya Donelly, Leslie Langston and David Narcizo - 4AD are reissuing a newly remastered version of then long out of print Throwing Muses, originally released while the bandmembers were still in their teens. Possession is a loaded word, but these songs were a direct result of a car accident Hersh suffered as a teenager that left her with serious injuries and, 'a lightning rod to the skull, ' that caused her to hear music no one else heard. Music with jagged edges and unexpected melodic leaps. This record was recorded while Hersh was eight months pregnant; her child and child-songs merging in the studio.4AD label chief at the time, Ivo Watts-Russell, funded the project, having found himself listening to their self-released cassette while caught in traffic: 'I listened three or four times in a row. There was something so exciting about them-reminded me of The Birthday Party-the energy the lyrics. The music was hard and aggressive, but the more you lived with it, the more their beauty came through.' That combination of aggression and beauty, both intricate and primal, feverishly complex yet intensely melodic, elevates Throwing Muses to even headier heights.40 years on, Throwing Muses has not lost one atom of it's ability to thrill, mesmerize, unnerve and surprise, influencing the alt rock, grunge and riot grrrl scenes that followed. The story is ongoing, Throwing Muses continue to record and tour, with offshoot projects like 50 Foot Wave, Lakuna and solo projects. This, though, is the record where a whole family of music began.