TREMBLING BELLS

Opening on an improbable mix of baroque folk and near-country (the harmonica), Adieu England announces the colour of the rest to come, even if Garden Born features Lavinia's crystal clear vocals over a solemn almost Spanish-sounding horn section. After the familiar- sounding Lay Your Burdens Down, the crumhorn-laden Did You Sing Together and the almost renaissance-horns of Month Of Death, the album had veered quite pure-folk, until the semi- country/folkish-rock of Outlaw Of My Heart and the familiar-sounding Ravenna (again with those over-slick horns) and the album glides smoothly into a downwards slope until the horrible and aptly-titled full-blown country-rock (Yyuuckk!!!!)You Are On The Bottom. What a pitiful way to end an album.

It's too bad that such a well-started album finishes so tastelessly. Certainly not escaping the usual traps and clichés, you could almost call TB a "retro prog folk" band if it wasn't for a few "faute de gout" and personally I prefer their debut.

Opening on a Harmnium-like drone, Velvet Seasons announces right away the colours, including a very-present trombone over a slow-organ. Some Lapsteel guitar enters in I Took To You, helping the mood to rise up to folk-rock with plenty of details to rejoice anyone keen on listening to their haunting melodies, which only increase with the familiar When I Was Young (maybe the album's highlight) and that spellbinding organ. And a definitive psychedelic feel as well. Indeed The End's In Beginning shows a 60's psych spirit , without sounding too awkward, but it's rather messy next to the other tracks and especially the following lazy and bucolic Summer's Waning . The title track and its follow-up Your Head are both drenched in trombone and guitar strums, but not particularly mesmerizing, but allow the album to complete its year-round cycle concept. Garlands Of Stars feature some loud screeching guitar over semi-plaintive vocals, while the closing Seven Years A Teardrop

Throughout the album, there is a definite religious feel, but fear not, it's rather easily ignored, and you shouldn't find yourself in a devil worshipping sect, despite one ofr two more pagan illustrations. Nothing that will revolutionize the prog folk realm, especially in regards to the Wyrd Folk movement, but if interested, the progheads won't be looking too much for the usual "prog clichés" in TB's music, but rather in the subtle arrangements, even if they don't avoid the clichés. Your call on this one.