“hope_blister”
The Hope Blister
…Smiles OK
4AD
The sticker on the case reads “…sort of a sequel to This Mortal Coil,” and that seems to have hit this right on the head. There are eight cover songs on here, all given the This Mortal Coil-styled treatment, becoming beautiful, ethereal gems floating in a hazy bed of strings. The sound is as familiar and as welcome as I could hope for, filled to overflowing with tender emotion.
The disc begins strong with “Dagger,” a cover of one of my favorite Slowdive songs. I’m not clear on whom all of the other songs were originally performed by as only the writing credits are listed, but the songs are wonderful and well-chosen.
It isn’t hard at all to imagine this as the fourth This Mortal Coil CD, but a major difference is that this is minus the cameos that made the TMC albums so diverse. No one will be picking this up because so-and-so sings one song on here, but rather on its own merits, which are more than strong enough to make this needed. A welcome return to a loved sound.
