The good news: Ivo Watts-Russell, who conceived This Mortal Coil (as well as the 4AD label) is making music again. The bad news is, the debut from The Hope Blister never quite gels. Watts-Russell has produced and assembled a group of talented musicians who create spare, mournful and lovely instrumentation -- especially Audrey Reilly's string arrangements and Lawrence O'Keefe's brooding bass. But vocalist Louise Rutkowski's husky, forceful vocals overpower these subtle territories, making the lovelorn lyrics seem cloying and obvious.

-- Beth Winegarner

This article was originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle.