Trembling Blue Stars - The Last Holy Writer

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 22 / 4 / 2007

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Review

Trembling Blue Stars gave Pennyblackmusic their first exclusive interview to promote this album last year, and it is a lovely album, as good as the interview Bobby Wratten and Beth Arzy gave to promote it. ‘The Last Holy Winter’ has a religious title, but it isn't really religious at all. This is possibly the last Trembling Blue Stars album and is the first album since 2004’s ‘The Seven Autumn Flowers’, which is also known as ‘The Brown Album'. It opens with ‘By False Lights’ which is eerie and instrumental and sounds like film music before Bobby's vocal joins in, sounding like a voice from your past. Beth's added backing gives extra chill to this track which sounds like Prefab Sprout on the set of a David Lynch movie. ‘Idyllwild’, which is sung by Beth, sounds like a happy R.E.M. number and instantly makes you want to do your best Morrissey style dancing around the room to it. ‘Sacred Music’ is already a MySpace classic, and, for me as a Cure fan, is one of the stand out tracks. It is very reminiscent of ‘Faith’ or ‘Pornography’ and is long and drawn out, with an absolutely charming vocal by Bobby. ‘This Once Was an Island’ sounds like it backed by a drum machine. It is beautiful, with joyful vocals upon which Bobby sounds like a young Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode or Andy Bell from Erasure. ‘The Coldest Sky’ is absolutely great. It is again recalls the Cure. The vocal is very slow and well paced. It is very angst-ridden and pretty near perfect. ‘Schnee Gletscher Glas’ is a mood based short piece, while ‘November Starlings’ is the opposite, an upbeat pop number and full of happiness. ‘Darker, Colder, Slower’ is heavier, very moody and quite Gothic, while ‘From a Pale Blue Rosary’ is slow with a soft delicate Beth vocal. ‘Say Goodbye to the Sea’ is as lovely as the early Smiths, and is full of charm, backed by soft acoustic guitar and elegant cello. ‘The Tenth of Always’ has a strong flow of words and its music is as handsome as warm tea when you are thirsty. ‘A Statue to Wilde’ again recalls the Cure, and, big and lasting 10 minutes with strong commanding vocals from Beth, is a lovely track full of reflection and brings to a perfect end a great album. Let’s hope it isn’t their last !

Track Listing:-

1 By False Lights
2 Idyllwild
3 Sacred Music
4 This Once Was An Island
5 The Coldest Sky
6 Schnee Gletscher Glas
7 November Starlings
8 Darker, Colder, Slower
9 From A Pale Blue Rosary
10 Say Goodbye To The Sea
11 The Tenth Of Always
12 A Statue To Wilde

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