Tindersticks Album Reviews

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TINDERSTICKS

"Because dying slowly seemed better than shooting myself"

Tindersticks (1993)

Rating (Out of 10): 9.5

Tracklisting: Nectar/Tyed/Sweet, Sweet Man Pt 1/Whiskey & Water/ Blood/City Sickness/Patchwork/Marbles/The Walt Blues/Milky Teeth/Pt Two/Jism/Piano Song/Tie-Dye/Raindrops/Pt Three/Her/Tear Stain/Drunk Tank/Paco De Renaldos Dream/The Not Knowing

Picture the scene. You’re in a darkened nightclub, it’s late, you’ve had a hard day, all the problems of the world are spinning around your brain and the tears are flowing down your cheeks as everything of which you were once so certain no longer makes sense and everything you once loved seems so very far away from you. Then out of nowhere the band begins to play. Through the smoke comes a voice so unique and strange, a half-talking, half-singing, nasal baritone, singing songs that tell stories, stories of people’s lives, of love and obsession and guilt and sex; and it’s all accompanied by the most lusciously beautiful strings you have ever heard. And somehow everything seems alright again. Welcome to the world of the Tindersticks.

Formed in England in 1992, the Tindersticks’ debut album is an amazingly ambitious 21 track affair, and very surprisingly for an album of such length, every single track is of a high quality, with absolutely no filler whatsoever. ‘Nectar’ opens the album well, giving a good taste of what’s to come – prominent strings, Stuart Staples amazingly unique vocals and poetic lyrics. Each track is similar in style and feel, but it all sounds so wonderful that you just don’t ever get bored with it. ‘Tyed’, ‘Sweet, Sweet Man’ and ‘Whiskey and Water’ all contribute really well to the beginning of the album showing a diversity of styles and paces, yet all blending well together. ‘Marbles’ was one of the first singles to be released by the Tindersticks and it truly is a remarkable track. Staples talks over highly atmospheric music, telling a story of love and loss, and it works really well, creating an ambience, sucking you in, making you believe. ‘Jism’ is the absolute highlight of the album for me. It is an amazing song with the most wonderfully hypnotic music that almost puts you in a trance. And the lyrics are intense and obsessive, and at times sexually explicit. ‘And I’ll tell you with my tongue between your toes, if there’s ever anyone else, don’t let them do this.” ‘The Not Knowing’ is an utter gem of a song hidden right at the end of the album. Stuart Staples voice sounds absolutely amazing and with a beautiful woodwind accompaniment, the track sounds delicate and dream-like and finishes the album perfectly. ‘Tindersticks’ is a truly wonderful creation that lasts for one hour and seventeen minutes, at the end of which you will barely realize time has passed at all. You will have become so caught up in the beauty and emotion of it that you will remember nothing except the music itself, and you will feel comforted and soothed and loved.

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Tindersticks (1995)

Rating (Out of 10): 9

Tracklisting: El Diablo En El Ojo/A Night In/My Sister/Tiny Tears/Snowy In F# Minor/Seaweed/Vertrauen II/Talk To Me/No More Affairs/Singing/Travelling Light/Cherry Blossoms/She’s Gone/Mistakes/Vertrauen III/Sleepy Song

The Tindersticks decide to confuse us all by giving their second album the exact same title as the first without even the courtesy of a ‘Part Two’ subtitle! I’m not sure what the reasoning behind this was. Perhaps they gave it the same title to indicate that it was to be taken as a direct continuation of the first album. This would make a lot of sense as both albums are very similar in style and feel. The strings are still there, as are the same slow, atmospheric melodies, and poetic, introspective lyrics. In many ways the second album can be seen as an improvement on the first. Stuart Staples really comes into his own as a vocalist on this album, his voice sounding richer, and fuller than before. Also, the orchestration is more prominent than in the previous album, and there is maybe more of a diversity and variety of sound. But this second album loses a lot of the subtlety and atmosphere of the first album. It’s a bit more obvious and more polished and lacks some of the late night ambience of the first album.

The album begins on a very sparse, subtle note. ‘El Diablo En El Ojo’ is very stark musically, Staples mumbles his way through the lyrics producing a very atmospheric and effective song. ‘A Night In’ is a wonderful song. Staples voice sounds raw and worn and the lyrics are beautiful and extremely evocative. ‘My Sister’ is a startlingly haunting track. Staples talks his way through it in a mumbling sort of way, telling a story of love, obsession, and death. It is an incredibly sad and distressing tale and is accompanied by suitably chilling music. ‘Tiny Tears’ is my favourite track on the album. It is absolutely beautiful and arguably contains the best orchestration ever used on a Tindersticks song, or any song at all for that matter; and the lyrics are utterly poetic, delicate and wonderful. ‘Travelling Light’ has a country feel to it, and sees Staples duet with female vocalist Carla Torgeson. Their voices compliment each other perfectly adding an extra dimension to the album. The majority of the tracks on this album stick to the Tindersticks tried and tested formula of a slow, sparse introduction with mumbled lyrics and minimalist accompaniment, which then builds up to a climax with stunning orchestration and fuller vocals. But this is no bad thing. It’s a formula that works, so there’s absolutely no need for them to change it, and the fact that the Tindersticks sound absolutely unlike anyone else on the planet allows them to get away with it. This second album may not be quite the masterpiece the first album was, but it comes a very close second.

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Curtains (1997)

Rating (Out of 10): 7.5

Another Night In/Rented Rooms/Don’t Look Down/Dicks Slow Song/Fast One/Ballad Of Tindersticks/Dancing/Lets Pretend/Desperate Man/Buried Bones/Bearsuit/(Tonight) Are You trying To Fall In Love Again/I was Your Man/Bath-time/Walking

At last, the Tindersticks name one of their albums something other than Tindersticks! But ‘Curtains’ could easily have been titled Tindersticks III as it follows on nicely from the previous two albums containing the same laid-back, atmospheric tracks with introspective, obsessive lyrics and strong vocals and orchestration. Unfortunately though, it’s a bit too similar to the previous two albums and there’s nothing much to make it stand out. At fifteen tracks and over 60 minutes in duration it’s a bit too long, and although this format worked with the last two records, ‘Curtains’ doesn’t have enough originality to carry it off with many of the tracks sounding too similar and too few tracks that jump out and grab your attention. Yet, in saying that, the album does get off to a very good start, with the first two songs possibly being the best tracks on the album. ‘Another Night In’ is a wonderful, dark track with a beautiful string arrangement and a strong vocal performance from Stuart Staples. ‘Rented Rooms’ is another great track, with an upbeat tune, and great torrid, sexually explicit lyrics. Unfortunately, after such a strong opening, ‘Curtains’ dips a bit in the middle with several mediocre tracks that don’t have much going for them at all. ‘Ballad of Tindersticks’ carries on the same vein as ‘Marbles’ and ‘My Sister’ with Staples talking over atmospheric music, telling a sordid tale of love and loss. However, it doesn’t quite capture the same intensity and emotion as either of two songs and it isn’t anywhere near as effective. ‘Dancing’ is another disappointing track that’s just too slow and never really gets going, and ‘Bearsuit’ is just Staples’ voice over a very minimalist accompaniment and is too bare and stark and just doesn’t work at all. But fear not, towards the end of the album everything picks up again and there are some excellent tracks, not least of all ‘Let’s Pretend’ which contains an absolutely wonderful string introduction which is then joined by a brass section and ends with a full orchestra which creates a fullness of sound. The juxtaposition of the beauty of the music with the dark lyrics and even darker vocals is very effective indeed.

The best thing about ‘Curtains’ is Stuart Staples voice. Staples possess arguably THE most original sounding, evocative, emotional voice in the music industry and in ‘Curtains’ he uses it most effectively. Sounding like he’s completely gone in on himself, it’s like listening to someone singing from the inside out, and it sounds absolutely incredible - deep, mumbling, nasal, at times barely audible - you have to listen hard to pick out the words. And, it fact, the words don’t matter so much as the mere sound of his voice which creates such a haunting effect that it renders mere words useless. On the whole, ‘Curtains’ would have made a great 10 track album. ‘Dick’s Slow Song’, ‘Dancing’, ‘Fast One’, and ‘Bearsuit’ aren’t necessary and only take away from the rest of album. But despite these low points, it is an album that contains moments of intense beauty and absolutely wonderful orchestration, and the wonderous voice of the amazing Stuart Staples.

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Simple Pleasure (1999)

Rating (Out of 10): 9

Tracklisting: Can We Start Again/If You’re Looking For A Way Out/Pretty Words/From The Inside/If She’s Torn/Before You Close Your Eyes/You Take This Loving/CfGf

‘Simple Pleasure’ sees quite a dramatic change in direction for the Tindersticks, and it also sees them very much back on form. A bit of an image change seems to have occurred with the release of this album as the Tindersticks transform themselves from melancholic, obsessive kings of navel gazing to a suave and sophisticated Soul outfit. The general style and feel of this album is completely different than before. The prominent orchestration is gone; strings are still present on several tracks, but they’re no longer the dominant element of the song, giving way to a major injection of soul and disco.

‘Can We Start Again’ begins the album in a fantastically dramatic way. With handclapping and female backing singers, it is a joyous, up-beat, feel-good sort of track and one that you could most definitely dance to. ‘If You’re Looking For A Way Out’ is a cover of a ‘70’s disco hit by ‘Odyssey’, and it is absolutely fantastic. It’s hard to imagine it being a 70’s disco hit though, and I have the feeling that if I ever heard the original I probably wouldn’t even recognise it. This new version is fantastic. Stuart Staples voice sounds absolutely, lusciously gorgeous. It really is the vocal performance of his career accompanied by the most beautiful sounding strings. It really is hard to believe that this is not a Tindersticks track. ‘Pretty Words’ is the sort of sultry, intense, low-key track that the Tindersticks excel at. Bereft of any sort of orchestration, Staples voice is pushed to the fore and sounds haunting and chilling and fabulous. ‘From The Inside’ is a completely instrumental track which makes good use of a Hammond organ, giving the track a slight fairground feel to it, lifting the tempo and atmosphere of the album slightly. But then it’s straight into ‘If She’s Torn’ which is beautiful, atmospheric, intense, mumbling, obsessive, everything that is so characteristically Tindersticks. ‘Before You Close Your Eyes’ is a funky, soul number which is quite different in style to the band’s usual stuff, but still sounds great and fits in well with the rest of the album. Like the first track of the album, ‘You Take This Loving’ employs a female backing singer, but with a different effect this time. This track is soft and delicate and moving, with Staples sounding fragile and delicate almost to the point of desperation. ‘CFGF’ ends the album on a soft, tender note. A gentle piano ballad, it isn’t exactly what you expect from The Tindersticks, and it definitely isn’t them at their best; but it’s a sweet, moving song, and lets face it, Stuart Staples could sing anything and make it sound good.

On the whole, ‘Simple Pleasure’ is an album of paradoxes. It heralds a new direction for the band while at the same time containing songs that are very stereotypically Tindersticks. It sees a move away from the dark-depressing late night music of the first two albums, moving towards a new soul sound, while at the same time containing some of the most beautiful, moving songs, just perfect for lying in bed listening to as you drift off to sleep after a hard day. Slick, mature and sophisticated, this really is a fantastic album. While it doesn’t quite live up to the magic of the first album, it still contains something very, very special indeed, and is well worth a listen.

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Can Our Love (2001)

Rating (Out of 10): 8

Tracklisting: Dying Slowly/People Keep Comin’Around/Tricklin/Can Our Love…/Sweet Release/Don’t Ever/Get Tired/No Man In The World/Chiletetime

‘Can Our Love’ sees the Tindersticks well and truly complete their transformation from moody, navel-gazers into a suave, sophisticated soul outfit. Carrying on from where ‘Simple Pleasure’ left off, it continues the mature, highly polished effect with the only difference being slightly more prominent string arrangements. And there’s definitely no beating around the bush with this album. It starts straight in with a bang. Dying slowly is probably the strongest song on the album and one of my favourite Tindersticks songs of all time. The lyrics are fabulous, especially the wonderful half-serious tongue in check line "This dying slowly seemed better than shooting myself." I know exactly how he feels! The track starts off slowly with minimal accompaniment, but in true tindersticks style in gradually builds up to the amazing climax which sings Staples aprtically shout out the line "If I could find the words to explain how I'm feeling I would shout them out". Fabulous Stuff! ‘People Keep coming Around’ is an up tempo track’ with a funky beat. ‘Trickling’ is minimalist, stark and chilling with repetitive lyrics and little to no musical accompaniment it comes across like the mad yet quiet ramblings of a tortured soul. It’s not really a song as such, but it’s highly atmospheric and original and very characteristic of the Tindersticks. The title track of the album is a beautiful, warm, tender track, it’s quite simple yet highly effective. ‘Don’t Ever Get Tired’ is my favourite track on this album. It makes me want to get into bed, tuck my duvet all around me, turn the lights out, get all cosy and warm and cry myself to sleep to the sound of Stuart Staples voice.’ No Man In The World’ starts off in the same vein as ‘My Sister’ and ‘Marbles’ with Staples talking over the music, telling a tale of love and loss, but includes vocals from Dickon Hinchcliffe and doesn’t quite have the effect of the former two tracks. ‘Chilitetime’ ends the album, and it’s a good moody, atmospheric song, although definitely not the best on the album, and probably not the best note to end on.

‘Can Our Love’ is a good album, and was well received in the music press; but for me there’s something missing. It’s very similar to ‘Simple Pleasure’, yet I think the former album is miles better. ‘Can Our Love’ lacks the haunting, chilling, quality that is so quintessentially Tindersticks. In my opinion their transformation into a soul act has gone too far, made them slightly boring, too mature and grown up. Yet, in saying that there are still some great moments and its still a great album.

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Waiting For The Moon (2003)

Rating (Out of 10): 8

Tracklisting: Until The Morning Comes ~ Say Good Bye To The City ~ Sweet Memory ~ 4:48 Psychosis ~ Waiting For The Moon ~ Trying To Find a Home ~ Sometimes it Hurts ~ My Oblivion ~ Just a Dog ~ Running Wild ~

The opening track of this album gave me an almighty shock when I first listened to it. Picture the scene. You run out and buy the new Tindersticks album, rush home to listen to it with great anticipation, all the while dreaming of Stuart Staples luscious voice, and when you press play on your CD player the worst possible thing happens. Someone else starts singing! My initial reaction was to leap up and down in disbelief shouting ‘What have you done with Stuart Staples’ at my stereo, as if someone had abducted him. There really was no need to panic as it was just long time Tindersticks violinist Dickon Hinchcliffe being given a turn on lead vocals, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting. It was like buying a tin of baked beans only to open it and discover spaghetti hoops inside instead! To me the thing that makes the Tindersticks so special is Staples unique vocals, so when Dickon Hincliffe sings, it’s just not the same. Don’t get me wrong, Hinchcliffe is a perfectly good singer, and provided vocals on one of the tracks on ‘Can Our Love’, but it seems a strange choice to give him lead vocals on the opening track. It gets the album off to a strange start, and without meaning to insult Dickon, the album doesn’t really start for me until the second track ‘Say Goodbye to the City’, when Staples takes over again as lead vocalist (he wasn’t abducted after all, phew!) But just when you think everything is back to normal again, ‘Sweet Memory’ begins and guess who is on vocals?! Ok, so I’m being a bit mean here, but having someone other than Staples on lead vocals on this album was really unsettling for me. And it’s not that I have anything against Dickon Hincliffe, it’s just to me, the sound of the Tindersticks is so caught up in Staples voice that the change of vocalist really caught me off guard. For this reason, it took me a long, long time to get into this album, and although eventually I grew to love it, it still doesn’t have the same appeal as earlier Tindersticks albums.

The rest of the songs on the album, you’ll be relieved to hear, are sung by Staples and they are all great songs. ‘Sometimes It Hurts’ is a duet sung with Canadian singer songwriter Lhasa de Sela and is a beautiful song. The Tindersticks like their duets, most albums have one, and this is a particularly good one but it would work equally well solo. The majority of the tracks on ‘Waiting For The Moon’ are smooth, mellow and atmospheric. It’s less soulful than the previous couple of albums, yet much softer than their earlier works and the change of vocalists works to give variety to the album and lightens the atmosphere. ‘Waiting For The Moon’ is definitely an album that takes time and patience, and if you’re a big Stuart Staples fan like me, it will definitely seem weird hearing someone else sing, especially on the first track, but once you’re over the initial shock you will learn to love it. It is still the Tindersticks after all.

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Working For The Man (2004)

Rating (Out of 10): 9

Tracklisting: CD1: City Sickness / Marbles / Patchwork / Her / Travelling Light / Tiny Tears / Bathtime / Another Night In / Can We Start Again / I Know That Loving / For Those
CD2: Patchwork / Milky Teeth / Joe Stumble / For Those / Benn / Fruitless / Untitled / The Bullring / Kathleen / Summat Moon / A Sweet Sweet Man / E Type Joe / Plus De Liaisons / Waiting Round You / I've Been Loving You Too Long / Here / Harry's Dilemma

‘Working For The Man’ was released by the Tindersticks in 2004, about a year after the release of their final album. It is the best of the Island years and covers just their early work, about the first 4 albums or so, but it came at the perfect time to almost act as a goodbye to the band. Of course the various members of the Tindersticks are still around working on their various projects, some together, some separate, but ‘Waiting For the Moon’ was their last album as the Tindersticks, so this album can be seen as a great tribute to a band who really were something very special, yet seemed to prefer to shun the spotlight and live in the shadows.

The first CD is a best of their early work and there’s a good selection of tracks on here. It tracks you would expect – ‘Marbles’, ‘Travelling Light’, ‘Tiny Tears’. But there are a few missing including my own personal Tindersticks favorites ‘Jism’ and ‘A night in’ . Of course there are so many great Tindersticks songs in those first four albums, it must have been difficult to pick just 11. This is a great CD. It is a good way to revisit the band’s early work and reminds you of how good City Sickness, ‘Can We Start Again’ and Tiny Tears’ really are.

The real special treats on this album are on disk 2 which is just crammed full of rarities. There are a lot of really cool things on here and the best without a doubt is the amazing ‘Plus De Liasons’ Just when you thought that it wasn’t physically possible for Stuart Staples to get any sexier he goes and records ‘No More Affairs’ in French! ‘No More Affairs is already possibly the Tindersticks sexiest song and in French it just makes all the hairs on your entire body stand on end. Staples voice really suits the French language. Listening to this makes me wish he would re-record every Tindersticks album entirely in French. Believe me, if he did, I’d buy them!!! Another treat is the fabulous Kathleen. Originally, a Townes Van Zandt track, Staples gives it the Tindersticks treatment, and as always makes it sound like it’s his very own song. This was originally recorded as a single and wasn’t included on any album, so unless you managed to buy a copy of the single all those years ago, this is your only chance to own that particular track, which makes it very special indeed. An orchestral version of ‘For Those’ and an alternative version of ‘Her’ which is very different from the original yet just as good, are another two of the many very special moments that make up disk 2 of this very special album. Whether you’re new to the Tindersticks or an old hand, this album is essential. For the hardened fan it acts as a reminder of just how wonderful the Tindersticks actually are and provide quite a few really cool rarities that aren’t available anywhere else. For the newcomer it acts as a great introduction to the band and includes many of their greatest tracks as well as a few hidden gems. Either way, this really is a fabulous album that acts as a celebration of one of the most original, sexy and special bands ever to come out of Sheffield, or anywhere else for that matter!!

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