Trembling Blue Stars

Named in honor of a passage from Pauline Reage's infamous novel The Story of O, the melancholy Trembling Blue Stars heralded the return of singer/songwriter Robert Wratten, best known as the frontman of the British indie pop band the Field Mice. Ostensibly a solo project with significant input from producer Ian Catt, Trembling Blue Stars originally emerged in the wake of the dissolution of Northern Picture Library, the project Wratten mounted after the demise of the Field Mice with then-girlfriend Annemari Davies; 1996's Shinkansen label debut Her Handwriting explored the couple's breakup in heartbreaking lyrical detail, couching its elegiac songs in airy, evocative guitar soundscapes. As of 1998's Lips That Taste of Tears, some measure of reconciliation had apparently been reached, as Davies' ethereal vocal presence again surfaced. 2000's Broken by Whispers was issued in the U.S. on Sub Pop. That same year the band added Keris Howard (formerly of Brighter) on bass, Beth Arzy (formerly of Aberdeen) on backing vocals, and Jonathan Akerman on drums, and began playing live shows in the U.K. before journeying to the U.S. for the first time. With the help of another Sarah Records vet, Harvey Williams of Another Sunny Day, this same core group recorded 2001's Alive to Every Smile. Since then the band's lineup remained stable, but they left their longtime label, Shinkansen, and moved to Spanish indie Elefant before the release of 2004's The Seven Autumn Flowers. Bar/None released the album in the U.S., and the band returned for a few dates to promote the album. After the release of the Bathed in Blue EP in early 2005, the group recorded and released their sixth album, 2007's The Last Holy Writer. Wratten announced shortly before the release of their next album 2010's Fast Trains and Telegraph Wires, that it would be the group's last.

from Wikipedia:

Trembling Blue Stars was a London-based band that currently includes members Robert Wratten and Beth Arzy (who was also in Aberdeen until they split up in 2005). Begun as a side project of Wratten's previous band Northern Picture Library, Trembling Blue Stars became Wratten's main band when Northern Picture Library broke up in 1995. Wratten took the name of his band from The Story of O by Pauline Réage. Trembling Blue Stars are characterized by slow songs with jangly guitars and introspective, painful lyrics.

Many of their lyrics deal with Wratten's attempts to come to grips with his relationship and subsequent break-up with Annemari Davies, who was in The Field Mice and Northern Picture Library with him. Their first album, Her Handwriting, was released in 1996 to critical acclaim and had a small release on Shinkansen Recordings (the successor of Sarah Records). The album was melancholic and moody as Wratten's lyrics went through the sad and happy moments of his relationship with Annemari. There was never meant to be a real band, just one album as mostly a solo project with some help from Annemari and a few others, but after the success of Her Handwriting, Wrattan put a band together, went touring and began work on a second album. In-fighting led to multiple line up changes, and original member Gemma Townley was replaced by Ian Catt. In 2003, all members were let go by Wratten except for Arzy. Producer Ian Catt has worked on every release.

Other previous members include Michael Hiscock, Keris Howard (previously of the Sarah Records-era band Brighter) and Harvey Williams. Annemari Davies remains a frequent guest vocalist.

History

Lips That Taste of Tears, the band's second album, was released in April 1997. The album received acclaim again, but was not supported through touring, like the first album, because Annemari had a case of stage fright and refused to tour, although she was a part of later tours. Broken By Whispers, their third album, was released in 2000 saw them getting more press and radio play. Dark Eyes, the second single, was voted Single of the Week on Mark Radcliffe's show on BBC Radio 1. The mood was still melancholic, but this album saw the band experimenting with more bass and synth sounds. It was this album that was picked up by Seattle's Sub Pop Records and gave the band their first release in North America. They also were able to record a live session on the John Peel show in 2001.

In 2001, Trembling Blue Stars released Alive To Every Smile, which still featured Annemari on vocals, along with Arzy. The album was widely acclaimed and adds more synth and beats to Wrattan's painful and frank lyrics, including one of their most famous songs "The Ghost of an Unkissed Kiss", which combined a dance-pop sensibility with more traditional twee aspects. Multiple EP releases have been regularly made in between the releases of each album. The band also collected some singles for a compilation called A Certain Evening Light in 2003. In 2005, their fifth album The Seven Autumn Flowers was released on Bar None Records in both the US and UK after they left Shinkansen. A brief mini-tour of the United States in late 2005 promoted it. Their sixth album The Last Holy Writer was released through Elefant Records in 2007 and will be featured in the feature film The Sculptor (film).

Trembling Blue Stars released their seventh album Fast Trains And Telegraph Wires in October 2010.