Trembling Blue Stars - Correspondence

Back in 1988 The Field Mice terrified floppy haired indie kids everywhere with noise/trance experiments like 'Humblebee'. Now, over 20 years on, Trembling Blue Stars (who emerged out of the ashes of our fallen heroes) scare the indie dads with almost four minutes of sheer noise opening up this, their swansong EP. It gives way to a typically celestial acoustic guitar meander with female vocals which sounds not unlike something on the last The Field Mice album 'For Keeps'. It turns out that it's a collaboration with Robert Hampson (Loop/Main) and works because it puts a bit of edge and nastiness on what is usually very fluffy pop. Elsewhere, very little seems to have changed over the past 20 years. Singer Bob Wratten is still tortured over some failed romance or other, they still have the ability to induce some kind of revoked teenage memory of being out late at night drinking alcohol in a rural spot. On the B side they do a very faithful cover of Wire's 'Kidney Bingos' and finish with a couple of acoustic laments. 'A Field at Dusk' (what did I just say?) recalls The Field Mice circa 'The Autumn Store' and the final 'A Spell of Songs' is another 'For Keeps' style lady ballad. I realise I've referenced The Field Mice throughout this EP so for the uninitiated its heart-wrenching, pastoral indie pop but if you like that kind of thing you should own all The Field Mice albums anyway. It's a nice finish and although they are not the force they once were, it's more because of production values rather than a lack of songwriting nous.