Music
10,000 Maniacs
Scorpio Rising
Today we’re listening to “Scorpio Rising” by 10,000 Maniacs
I’ve always associated 10,000 maniacs’ very specific, very literate sound with universities. And not just any university, but somewhere like Dartmouth (sorry, Hurricane fans). It’s a sound that, to me, has always felt more at home on a campus with a vibrant field hockey program than on the Billboard charts.
The Wishing Chair came out when I was in elementary school, but it has always been a record I connected with the older siblings of my friends who would come home on school breaks with all kinds of new music for us to listen to (or overhear in the hallway coming from their bedrooms). I imagine it sounded the same in the dorm halls, too.
The band peaked with Our Time In Eden — that album shows a band that has refined its sound over a few records and is comfortable in its own skin. Natalie Merchant has a voice like none other, but a competent rest of the band backs her. It feels very polished and very much of the era (this would also mark the end of Merchant’s time in the band).
1985’s The Wishing Chair also feels very much of its time- and much more in line with what most people would associate with college rock. This was their first record to see widespread distribution. It’s not their debut, but…
