Trembling Blue Stars
Exploring The Shadows

By Michael Edwards

Trembling Blue Stars are very good at what they do. That isn’t meant to be an insult, merely an observation. Bobby Wratten has few peers when it comes to writing classic indie pop and that’s very apparent on Exploring The Shadows, their new EP. The first two tracks would make the perfect seven-inch single. “Beautiful Blank” is what the world has come to expect from Trembling Blue Stars, with gorgeous vocals by Beth Azry, while “Easy As Being Alone” is as close as Wratten has gotten to reproducing the glory days of the Field Mice in a long, long time. And the remaining two songs that round out the EP aren’t too bad either. While there isn’t anything surprising on Exploring The Shadows, it’s a very solid piece of work that harkens back to Wratten’s days on Sarah Records when every song he wrote felt like something he really wanted to share with the world. And back then, his singles were always better than his albums as well. (Elefant)

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Hinterland - Pan Pan Medico
From somewhere beneath the schizophrenic synthesisers and taut rhythms comes a need to escape, a desire to break away from monotonous, materialistic bonds and our own obsessive, set-in-the-past ways. Pan Pan Medico is the third album by Vancouver, BC’s Hinterland and is as equally enthralling ...Read More
Alessandra Celletti - Way Out
The Audition - Champion
Beck - Odelay Deluxe Edition
Bob Mould - District Line
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow And Blue
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Cat Power - Jukebox
City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Dead Meadow - Old Growth
Devistations - Yes, U
Flowers Forever - Flowers Forever
Grand Archives - The Grand Archives
Hawksley Workman - Between The Beautifuls
Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Human Bell - Human Bell
Jackson Analogue - And, Then Nothing
Jeffrey Lewis - 12 Crass Songs
Kelley Stoltz - Circular Songs
Kula Shaker - Strange Folk
Laura Barrett - Earth Sciences
Lynn Blessing - Sunset Painter
Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
Modena Vox - Transportation
Morrissey - Greatest Hits
Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
The Mumlers - Thickets & Stitches
Musk Ox - Musk Ox
Nada Surf - Lucky
No Kids - Come Into My House
Parlour Steps - Ambiguoso
Radar Bros. - Auditorium
School of Language - Sea From Shore
Sian Alice Group - 59:59
Sian Alice Group - 59:59
Sleep Station - The Pride of Chester James
Sons And Daughters - This Gift
St Mikael - Mind of Fire
Sydney - When We Were Safe
Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams
Various Artists - Fairy Cakes for Tea (Fairyales Vol. 2)
Various Artists - Living Bridge
Vast - April
Why? - Alopecia
Xiu Xiu - Women As Lovers
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-Bayonetta

Ever since the Christmastime gaming deluge ended, I've been killing a lot of angels. Though God's messengers have been bad guys in other pop-cultural products ― His Dark Materials book trilogy, the pas... Full Review
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