The Daily Deep Cut

The editors at JamsBio like to think of ourselves as music fans first, not critics, and that’s the sensibility we strive for at JamsBio and that we seek in other sites as well. That’s why we’re so jazzed about Damn Fine Day, a site that each day profiles a deep album cut that’s been overlooked, but deserves a place in everybody’s collection. In the name of spreading the gospel about great music, we present “The Daily Deep Cut,” where we add our two cents about the songs featured on Damn Fine Day. Once you read our unique take, we’ll send you over to Damn Fine Day so you can stream the full track and download it if you like. Sometimes we might even suggest another deep track from the same album or present some other novel twist on what their hawking.

Another blast from my college past, Belly was in constant rotation during my junior year at Brandeis, a small liberal arts college in the shadows of Boston, MA. Of course the early 1990’s was a great time to be young and musically hungry in Beantown, as it was a hotbed for burgeoning alt-rock bands of all stripes. Led by the Pixies (who were on their way out) and Throwing Muses, America’s most intellectual city was home to the Lemonheads, Morphine, Buffalo Tom, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Letters to Cleo, and Belly, to name but a few. Tanya Donelly left Throwing Muses (for which she played second fiddle to half sister Kristin Hersh) and formed Belly, a dreamy quartet that found instant success with its 1993 debut, Star. Best known as an alt-rock one hit wonder for its infectious lead single, “Feed the Tree,” Belly’s talents actually ran pretty deep. Star was a solid collection of swirling pop hooks and off-kilter, sometimes disturbing lyrics. Donelly knew how to deliver an enchanting ballad too, as “Stay,” today’s Damn Fine Day pick proves. The sweet vocal harmonies float above swooning instrumentation of guitars and violin to close the record on a decidedly wistful note. The band would serve up plenty more of these type of pop confections on its follow-up, King, but its poor reception and abysmal sales would leave them largely in the dark. It’s a shame because for my money King is one of the more solid collections to come out of the alt-rock “scene” of the 1990’s.

Before heading over to Damn Fine Day to swoon with “Stay,” check out one of my favorite tracks from the highly underrated sophomore effort from Belly.

“Judas My Heart” by Belly (from Star, 1995)

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