This Mortal Coil was the collective project of several artists on the 4AD label's roster. The band was formed by labelhead Ivo Watts-Russell, and in its eight active years, the collective produced three records: It'll End In Tears, Filigree and Shadows and Blood. The albums included appearances by such seminal artists as Kim Deal, Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, and Tanya Donelly. This Mortal Coil disbanded in 1991 just as the imprint started to go downhill.

The label lost many of its most recognized acts in the early '90s when their bands began to break up, or in some cases, leave citing creative differences between themselves and Watts-Russell. Now, 4AD's got a new roster with an updated sound for the new millennium, and the Hope Blister is being pitched as the second incarnation of This Mortal Coil. Here's a rundown of the lineup:

Louise Rutkowski handles the vocals this time around, and her presence can be found on more than her fair share of This Mortal Coil tunes. Laurence O'Keefe plays bass just as he did for the Jazz Butcher's 1990s lineup. Audrey Riley is a respected and accomplished cellist who's worked with 4AD artists Lush, Mojave 3, and Scheer (as well as better known folks like the Cure, Nick Cave, Barry Adamson, Robyn Hitchcock, Catherine Wheel, the Swans, New Order, Swans, the Sundays, the Style Council, Marc Almond, etc.). Chris Tombling, Leo Payne and Sue Dench handle the violins and violas-- they've worked with many of the same acts as cellist Riley. And in on saxophone and percussion is the mysterious Ritchie Thomas, a newcomer with (seemingly) little previous experience.

On ...Smiles O.K., the Hope Blister cover songs penned by the likes of Chris Knox, David Sylvian, John Cale and Brian Eno. At this point, one might ask, "How can you go wrong?"

Well, it's like this: the songs involve little more than-- that's right-- bass guitar, strings, and Rutkowski's Kate Bush- meets- Siouxsie Sioux- brand vocals. Thomas' saxophone and percussion rarely appear, and make only brief appearances when they do. So, ultimately, the record sounds a bit sparse and more than a little repetitive.

Luckily, 4AD's new lineup is promising. Veterans Lisa Germano, Mojave 3, Lisa Gerrard and His Name Is Alive all have new albums planned, as do a reunited Bauhaus, and so do potentially brilliant newcomers Gusgus, Starry Smooth Band, and Scheer. So, despite that the new Mortal Coil didn't quite pull through this time around, there is Hope.

-Ryan Schreiber