Performer Notes

Personnel: Lavinia Blackwall (vocals, guitar, harp, piano, organ, glockenspiel); Alex Neilson (vocals, drums, percussion); Stevie Jackson (guitar, lap steel guitar, E-bow, harmonica, piano, background vocals); Mike Hastings (guitar, Jew's harp, background vocals); Solveig Askvik (violin); Laurie Anderson (cello, background vocals); Will Summers (flute, shawm, recorder, crumhorn); Richard Merchant (trumpet, cornet); Ross McCrae (trombone); Martin Beer (double bass); Simon Shaw, Ceylan Hay, John Cavanagh (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Lavinia Blackwall; Stevie Jackson; Alex Neilson; John Cavanagh.
Liner Note Author: Joe Boyd.
Recording information: Banchory, Glasgow; Glo Spot Studios, Glasgow.
Photographer: Stuart Reidman.
Arrangers: Trembling Bells; Lavinia Blackwall; Alex Neilson.
Let's be honest: Carbeth had set the bar really high. The release of Trembling Bells' debut album in the summer of 2009 had been a surprise, and a radiant one at that. Their heady blend of country-rock feeling, folk roots, and wacky humor -- and the odd-couple pairing of Lavinia Blackwall's voice with Alex Neilson's -- worked brilliantly though inexplicably well. Released a year later, Abandoned Love eschews the second-album syndrome by building on the group's strengths without stripping anything away. The songwriting has matured and, most noticeably, the comic-relief element found on the first album and generally embodied by Neilson ("Your Head Is the House of Your Tongue," for example) has been toned down and tucked at the tail end of the track list (in the form of "You Are on the Bottom [And the Bottle's on My Mind]," overtly country-rock with pedal steel and fiddle and all the bells and whistles). "Adieu, England," "Darling," and "Love Made an Outlaw of My Heart" stand out, the first two as perfect examples of Trembling Bells' take on medieval-inspired folk songs, the latter as their unique brand of country/classic rock. Blackwall's soaring voice is better used on this album, and overall the disparate influences of the band are better integrated into a distinctive group sound. However, there is nothing here that stands out like the gripping "Willows of Carbeth" did on the first album. Carbeth was an instant like; Abandoned Love is more of a grower. But the folk fire's still burning, and with this second opus, Trembling Bells have proven they are more than a flash in the pan. ~ Fran‡ois Couture

Professional Reviews

Mojo (Publisher) (p.97) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he soaring, distorted guitars and jaunty beat of 'Love Made An Outlaw Of My Heart' reveal the musical wit and mischief that underpins the Bells' apparently serious moments."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.84) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Praised across the board, this Scottish quartet are doing dazzling and daring things with folk..."

Uncut (magazine) (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "ABANDONED LOVE is an anthemic, romantic tribute to the dream of British song."

Uncut (magazine) (p.34) - Ranked #40 in Uncut's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2010" -- "[C]hoogling away from folk towards West Coast acid-rock."

Album: Abandoned Love
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Adieu, England	More Info...
2)	Man Is As a Garden Born	More Info...
3)	Baby, Lay Your Burden Down	More Info...
4)	Did You Sing Together?	More Info...
5)	September Is the Month of Death	More Info...
6)	Love Made an Outlaw of My Heart	More Info...
7)	Ravenna	More Info...
8)	All Good Men Come Last	More Info...
9)	Darling	More Info...
10)	You Are On the Bottom (And the Bottle's On My Mind)	More Info...

Album: Abandoned Love
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Adieu, England	More Info...
2)	Man Is As a Garden Born	More Info...
3)	Baby, Lay Your Burden Down	More Info...
4)	Did You Sing Together?	More Info...
5)	September Is the Month of Death	More Info...
6)	Love Made an Outlaw of My Heart	More Info...
7)	Ravenna	More Info...
8)	All Good Men Come Last	More Info...
9)	Darling	More Info...
10)	You Are On the Bottom (And the Bottle's On My Mind)	More Info...