Retro Glasgow folksters Trembling Bells hit the record racks once more with “The Constant Pageant”. A cause for celebration for those of us with half thought out beards, I would think, and an opportunity for the rest of us who know not the joy of corduroy to acquaint ourselves with the sublime vocal delights of Lavinia Blackwell.
Alex Nielson – the man behind the drums and the songs – does the reverential thing very well and much of this album could have fallen out of a wormhole connecting it to early seventies as all those prime era English folk rock influences gather and assert themselves. It’s not all boats from Liverpool though as the opportunity is taken to plunder a psych-rock influence as well with the untidy “All My Favourite Mistakes” taking Ms Blackwell out into Lynn Carey territory. Truth be told however, the more Trembling Bells rock, the more they stumble and, on those songs, it does sound like they are well outside their comfort zone.
In more delicate moments however, their star shines much more brightly with “Torn Between Loves” and “New Year’s Eve’s The Loneliest Night Of The Year” strolling purposely towards the light with the elegance and precise diction of Ms Blackwell’s voice leading the way. One might well say that she has one of those classic folk voices. Indeed one might and one would be speaking the truth if one did.
The flat, murky sound quality of the vinyl does the band no favours and at times threatens to deprive us of the many joys of Ms Blackwell’s voice (which would be something of a crime). No mastering credit for the vinyl could be determined