Throwing Muses are rearing their anomalous heads for the first time in a decade. The Rhode Island outfit, the first American group to be signed to independent label 4AD (current artists on the label include Bon Iver and The National), fractured in 2003 but has reformed, and is set to release new material this November.

Throwing Muses have always been odd, to put it lightly. The bright tone of many of their songs rings similar to other contemporary rock groups (imagine a more tuneful Dinosaur Jr.), but they’re undeniably different. Maybe it’s the lyrics, the unconventional drumming, or just the feel of the band, but – well, give them a listen.

And so we can’t really tell you what to expect for Purgatory/Paradise. Strictly speaking, it isn’t an album, but an art book, with an attached CD. Buyers will receive a collection of “lyrics, photographs, and writing” by frontwoman Kristen Hersh.

Purgatory/Paradise
01. smoky hands
02. morning birds 1
03. sleepwalking 2
04. sunray venus
05. cherry candy 1
06. film
07. opiates
08. cherry candy 2
09. freesia
10. curtains 1
11. triangle quanitico
12. morning birds 2
13. lazy eye
14. blurry 1
15. folding fire 2
16. slippershell
17. bluff
18. blurry 2
19. terra nova
20. walking talking
21. milan
22. curtains 2
23. folding fire 1
24. static
25. clark’s nutcracker
26. dripping trees
27. sleepwalking 1
28. smoky hands 2
29. speedbath
30. quick
31. dripping trees 2
32. glass cats