release date: Oct. 1989
format: vinyl (LEX 10) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Mark Tibenham
label: Reflex Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Prince Rupert" (4 / 5) - 2. "Macbeth's Head" - 4. "Belief in the Rose" - 5. "The Street Organ" - 6. "Lady d'Arbanville" (4 / 5) - 7. "Misfortunes" - 10. "The Horse Fair"
4th studio album by And Also the Trees (cd issue on Troy Records) is this time produced by Mark Tibenham, who is also credited for keyboards is not quite as great as the band's previous two albums but is still a very fine release. As the title implies it's an end of dark sinister gothic rock, and they really want to make new music, and that's also the album's weakness as it contains brilliant tracks that could be fitted easily on their previous two albums, and at the same time it contains attempts to define a new style of brighter compositions. I think, it's quite typical for bands of this period and style: you can't really keep making music that is so bound to a certain time as gothic post-punk. This is a small change into a more positive universe, which goes much further on the forthcoming albums. "Lady d'Arbanville" is a cover song (written by Cat Stevens). The original is a fine baroque pop song from 1970, but here it's nicely turned into gloomy gothic rock.
The band is still the same quartet as on the three previous albums but here they have been supported by producer Mark Tibenham's keyboards, which adds that extra layer to the soundscape that I do see as an addition - a true potential - but which also serves as too strong dynamics and makes some of songs tend to theatrical excesses.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]
