I remember the first time that music really challenged me. Not the Throwing Muses epiphany which just swept into my soul like it was always meant to belong there. Rather the time I saw My Bloody Valentine supporting Pixies at one of the International clubs in Manchester during the late 1980s. I’d never heard their queasy drug-influenced love songs before, thus I was pretty repulsed by the sound, as were my flat mates. However, three days after the gig, I was longing to hear more. And, yes, after buying Isn’t Anything, I continued to be repulsed but intrigued for weeks, until all the conflicts and ambiguities resolved themselves in my head. I’ve been told by some that the Throwing Muses experience can be much the same.

Shara Worden’s solo project My Brightest Diamond isn’t anything like that. She’s a classically trained opera vocalist, bringing those skills and range to artful indie rock. This debut album, Bring Me the Workhorse (as My Brightest Diamond) reminded me of that first encounter with My Bloody Valentine. “Oh yes, this is going to be fun,” I thought, because I know where the journey will take me. Every listen generates more Tetris blocks for me to assemble, with bonuses along the way for each completed row.

You can put your hand down now.

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