"The world is full of noise, yeah. I hear it all the time." So claims "Dagger," opening track on "...smile's ok" by the Hope Blister. The newest project from Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of influential U.K. label 4AD, reacts to the throbbing rhythm of contemporary life with a tranquil pulse.
      "I just don't think people are encouraged to have a personal relationship with music anymore," says Watts-Russell. "More and more, popular music is something experienced in a packed setting, be it a dance club or rock show. The idea of just you and a record, going into this world that a person has created, there's less and less of it being pursued."
      . . . smile's ok resumes the tear-jerking course set by This Mortal Coil, the Watts-Russell led collective whose trilogy of albums (It'll End in Tears, Filigree and Shadow, Blood) excelled at romantic melancholia. The Hope Blister surrenders the epic histrionics in favor of subtle placement of voice, bass guitar, a string quartet and brief cameos of saxophone and percussion, as conducted by Ivo. Stripped down, the drama endures. "There's a tension, a concern for detail," explains Watts-Russell. "I think quite a lot is said through leaving a space and then moving to a different sound. It doesn't feel minimal to me, but you can hear the detail of each sound if you choose to."
      While This Mortal Coil employed the talents of various heavenly vocalists (Cocteau Twin Elizabeth Fraser, Breathless' Dominic Appleton), . . . smile's ok features only Louise Rutkowski. The voice behind some of This Mortal Coil's most enduring tracks, Rutkowski once fronted Sunset Gun, whose cover of William Devaughn's "Be Thankful For What You've Got" on a Swedish cassette magazine caught Ivo's attention. Ironic, as Ivo's legacy is due in part to his resurrection of forgotten gems by artists that "a criminally small number of people were aware of." This Mortal Coil paid homage to Tim Buckley, Gene Clark and Mary Margaret O'Hara, while the Hope Blister collects eight more timeless, unassuming songs from acts like David Sylvian, Brian Eno, Tall Dwarfs singer Chris Knox and John Cale. A remake of "Sweet Unknown" by Cranes--which features the same chords as the Ivo-penned instrumental "A Single Wish" from It'll End in Tears--comes full circle.
      Ivo even plucked songs from his own catalog, covering pieces by 4AD acts Heidi Berry, Slowdive and Gus Gus. "I had to hold back, actually," he says with a laugh. "There are so many songs that we've released that I'm drawn to."
      Although he refuses to label the Hope Blister an actual band--or himself a musician--Ivo will continue to step out from behind the desk and put his money where his heart is. "All of this is because I can," he says. "I don't think anyone would actually pay me to do this!"
-Lisa Ladouceur
Photography by Matthew Welch