Tindersticks - Curtains (1997), Simple Pleasure (1999), Can Our Love... (2001) and Waiting For The Moon (2003)

Formed in Nottingham as Asphalt Ribbons in 1991, Tindersticks have been ploughing a furrow of soulful, melancholy, late-night uneasy listening for 15 years now, yet sadly the world still doesn't seem to want to listen. Which is the world's loss, as this band write beautiful, heartrending songs and are one of the most talented, imaginative live bands in the UK.


Curtains (1997)
A keyboard, string arrangements, a trumpet here and there and Staple's lush baritone voice all add to the exquisite velvet feel of Curtains. Songs of love, songs of loss, this is not a very 'happy' album: 'She said I'm such a sad man, such a jerk'. Hmm... Each song is a fine example of the Tindersticks' craftmanship, slowly moving towards a climax, but often enough suddenly falling, only to reach for that high point again. This album is not their best to date, but it's a good start if you want to get to know the Tindersticks.

Simple Pleasure (1999)
The group nearly split up after Curtains, but fortunately they decided to have a break and regroup, and in 1999 returned with their best album to date, Simple Pleasure. More focused than previous efforts, there was a new lightness of touch here, and although the lyrics still weren't likely to get everyone singng along on the beaches of Ibiza, the mood was generally less oppressive than before. Whereas Curtains sometimes appeared a bit of a mish-mash, there were no throwaway tracks or fillers, with every song being a classic. A great album!


Can Our Love... (2001)
Another 2-year break ended with Can Our Love..., an album which seems to have somewhat disappointed a lot of fans. Like Simple Pleasures, the emphasis is on simple love songs rather than the epic melodramas of earlier albums. But whereas Simple Pleasures threatened at times to drown the listener in contrived melancholy, Can Our Love... is a more mature and subtle album. The opening track 'Dying Slowly'is perhaps their most musically complex to date, ebbing back and forth like the sea on a tide of luscious violins.


Waiting For The Moon (2003)
Their sixth studio lp, Waiting For The Moon is an album of assured breadth, filled with a renewed self-confidence. After the more pared-down, soulful sound of their past two releases, Tindersticks have reinvigorated their songwriting with some of their 'old' sound, and the result straddles all that they have recorded in an impressive fashion. If you don't own anything by the Tindersticks, don't listen to this first. It is a work of maturity, and perhaps not the most accessible. Tindersticks have been making ever more concise records; their early albums were something of a sprawl and would feature up to twenty songs. Waiting For The Moon is more structured and sticks to a restrained ten. These kinds of albums are best served when working up to them. But once you get into the Tindersticks, you're going to want to hear their albums over and over again.

posted by Paxjorge @ Tuesday, March 14, 2006