ow many almost-40-year old mothers of four do you know who decide to form a punk band? My guess is not many. But that's exactly what Kristin Hersh , muse-in-chief of legendary Boston outfit Throwing Muses , and owner of a critically acclaimed (and quite quiet) 5 album solo career has decided to do. In many ways, 50 Foot Wave also represents something of a departure from the traditional music business model, with the band vowing not to release albums per se, but instead release 5-6 song EPs every 9 months or so.

Having listened to this quite extensively over the past week, 50 Foot Wave is likely to be one of the more intense records you'll hear this year, and quite frankly, it may not be for everyone. Its fast, really fast, there are tempo changes galore, and Hersh has surrounded herself with an exceptionally talented rhythm section in former Throwing Muses bassist Bernard Georges, and newcomer Rob Ahlers on drums.

The opening song ?Bug,? and indeed the opening line, set the tone for the rest of the album. You get a few seconds of a filthy dirty guitar riff, before Hersh hollers ?Cmon play the goddamn music / I know we fell apart a while ago / And, no, not everyone's all right / Walking bare-assed down the hallway / Is hard enough at night.? It's the kind of song that makes you feel out of breath just listening to it. But there's no let-up, as the band plunges straight into ?Clara Bow,? with its chorus of ?With sunburned lips I can bitch / about another stupid summer.?

If there's a complaint, it's that things are so fast and furious, that at times Hersh's vocals seem to suffer. Its one thing to scream, but on certain songs, most notably, "Lavender", the result is more of a caterwaul then anything else.

What's certain is that this is music to be heard live. It will be interesting to see whether Hersh's 30- and 40-year olds fans will be enticed into the mosh pit. Rumor has it 50 Foot Wave will be playing a DC date in mid-May.