Doof's Top 100 Tindersticks Songs
In response to this year's excellent new addition to their discog I bring you... |
100 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'No Treasure but Hope'
Restrained closer, might be underrating.
[3.5/5] |
99 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'El Diablo En El Ojo'
Moody opener, more just a mood setter but cool.
[3.5/5] |
98 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'(You Take) This Heart Of Mine'
[3.5/5] |
97 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Walking'
[3.5/5] |
96 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'No Man in the World'
[3.5/5] |
95 | | Tindersticks Falling Down a Mountain
'She Rode Me Down'
They could have done an old school western album...sort of glad they didn't but this isn't bad.
[3.5/5] |
94 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'Pretty Words'
[3.5/5] |
93 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'4.48 Psychosis'
As experimental as they get...it suits them ok but not a favourite.
[3.5/5] |
92 | | Tindersticks Falling Down a Mountain
'Harmony Around My Table'
This is even more goofy but I like it.
[3.5/5] |
91 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'The Hungry Saw'
The Tom Wait'sy one, pretty good, a bit goofy. |
90 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'(Tonight) Are You Trying To Fall In Love Again'
[3.5/5] |
89 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Trying to Find a Home'
[3.5/5] |
88 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'Come Inside'
[3.5/5] |
87 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'CF GF'
[3.5/5] |
86 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'A Marriage made in Heaven'
Duet! Not so in love with this one but still classy.
[3.5/5] |
85 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'Come Feel the Sun'
Almost as depressing as 'Cherry Blossoms'
[3.5/5] |
84 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Cherry Blossoms'
Their most depressing tune - that is quite the statement.
[3.5/5] |
83 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Milky Teeth'
[3.5/5] |
82 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'The Other Side of the World'
[3.5/5] |
81 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'Before You Close Your Eyes'
[3.5/5] |
80 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Talk to Me Darling'
Sounds like a lesser version than a lot of the other songs on the album...good but it'll be my highest 3.5'er on the list. If I ever have a first twang of boredom listening to Tindersticks II it's is hearing this one start up. Still good though.
[3.5/5] |
79 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Say Goodbye to the City'
[4/5] |
78 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Dancing'
[4/5] |
77 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'All the Love'
[4/5] |
76 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Buried Bones'
Duet! Not as good as 'Travelling Light' but similar!
[4/5] |
75 | | Tindersticks Working for the Man
'A Sweet Sweet Man'
The full song version of the one they (sort of annoyingly but I get it) chop into three parts on the debut.
[4/5] |
74 | | Tindersticks Falling Down a Mountain
'Keep You Beautiful'
[4/5] |
73 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'Take Care in Your Dreams'
[4/5] |
72 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'Don't Ever Get Tired'
[4/5] |
71 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'A Night So Still'
[4/5] |
70 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Piano Song'
[4/5] |
69 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'The Amputees'
[4/5] |
68 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'Can Our Love...'
[4/5] |
67 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'The Flicker Of A Little Girl'
[4/5] |
66 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Nectar'
[4/5] |
65 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'Show Me Everything'
[4/5] |
64 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'Yesterday's Tomorrows'
[4/5] |
63 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Waiting for the Moon'
[4/5] |
62 | | Tindersticks Working for the Man
'Kathleen'
Another perfect choice of song to cover.
[4/5] |
61 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Raindrops'
Despite this effectively being the blueprint on their debut for a lot of what followed later in their career...it's more one I respect than love.
[4/5] |
60 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'People Keep Comin' Around' |
59 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'Help Yourself'
[4/5] |
58 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'Medicine'
[4/5] |
57 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'The Not Knowing'
[4/5] |
56 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'Chilitetime'
[4/5] |
55 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'Chocolate'
Ha ha, all that build up - touche, first time you really got me.
Not sure it's the perfect repeat plays listen, you won't bother with it every time you want to her the rest of the album...but I've a lot of fondness for this spoken word oddbod.
[4/5] |
54 | | Tindersticks Falling Down a Mountain
'Factory Girls'
[4/5] |
53 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'The Old Mans Gait'
[4/5] |
52 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Running Wild'
[4/5] |
51 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'I Know That Loving'
[4/5] |
50 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'Frozen'
Not Disney movie, think spy movie.
[4/5] |
49 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'Carousel'
[4/5] |
48 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Sometimes it Hurts'
Duet! Good!
[4/5] |
47 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Ballad of the Tindersticks'
More spoken word fun - a day in the life of the band type deal.
[4/5] |
46 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'Boobar Come Back to Me'
[4/5] |
45 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'For the Beauty'
Solid opener on the new one.
[4/5] |
44 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Seaweed'
The artfully deconstructed one.
[4/5] |
43 | | Tindersticks Working for the Man
'Here'
This Pavement cover surprisingly works well. |
42 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'Were We Once Lovers'
[4/5] |
41 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Rented Rooms'
[4/5] |
40 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Tyed'
Sinister. They never sounded more sinister.
[4/5] |
39 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'This Fire of Autumn'
People say this album had a bit of the spy soundtrack about it and other than 'Frozen' (see elsewhere) this is the one I hear it most. Always nice to hear the band up the tempo from time to time.
[4.5/5] |
38 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Don't Look Down'
One of my favourite Staples performances - brings the industrial strength quiver/quaver. How can someone who 90% of the time sounds like Vic Reeves doing the 'club singer' be the greatest singer around. A mystery.
[4.5/5] |
37 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'Hey Lucinda'
Another duet, some kickin' xylophone and yeah it's just great. Lhasa de Sela sounds sexy, nice.
[4.5/5] |
36 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Her'
Eh meester ees thees the Mexican (or Spanish?) sounding one that Tarantino would no doubt approve of? Uh, yeah. Classy curveball on the debut.
[4.5/5] |
35 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'We Are Dreamers!'
Slightly overrated in so far as everyone claims this atmospheric number is the best on 'The Waiting Room' - not for me Sir. Still got a detached cool and almost noir vibe - and some well incorporated female backing vox.
[4.5/5] |
34 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Snowy In F# Minor'
Short and sweet with the band rattling around like the train they refer to in the lyrics - with bellowing horn-like noises to boot.
The violin bit at 1:30 is cute - another winner.
[4.5/5] |
33 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Whiskey and Water'
On the debut sometimes the band were more Nick Cave'y and the Bad Seeds'y - esp on a tune like this. They never really rawk but this is sort of as close as they go, without creasing their lapels or what have you.
'Other women seem so ugly to me now
Playthings stand dusty
Books lie open on the page where I met her'
Romantic obsession again, a fertile hunting ground for Staples.
[4.5/5] |
32 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'Like Only Lovers Can'
Underrated! Stellar album closer once again, straightforward stuff but ahm not ashamed to call it endlessly beautiful. Yup. |
31 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Mistakes'
"mistakes, are, y'know, mmm, bad...m'kay"
The mutha of Tindersticks string swellers.
'Mistakes I made you know I'll live with them all my life' eek.
Also Staples takes on the tra la la man in this one with some classic wordless singing that must be heard to be believed.
[4.5/5] |
30 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Bathtime'
Dum-dum---dum-dum-dum.
Has that urban city vibe that 'City Sickness' had, a follow up almost with a focus on those dirty hands, plus cool imagery like the 'rotting perfume' he wades though.
[4.5/5] |
29 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'Pinky in the Daylight'
Love this new one, although the chorus gets stuck in my head very easily. Dope.
[4.5/5] |
28 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'No More Affairs'
Sort of 'Tiny Tears the 2nd' - sometimes I think better...the lyrics say everything about how you'd expect this one to sound:
'It's an impulsive thing
But we caught the other
Climbed into bed with all our previous lovers
It gets crowded in there
There's no more affairs'.
I'm running out of superlatives at this point.
'If I tremble in your arms
If I sigh through your hair
This last affair'
[4.5/5] |
27 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Dick's Slow Song'
My dick's slow sweet release more like. The nocturnal vibe conjured is second to none, the understated writing a revelation as par for the course. Love the audible counting in of different sections.
[4.5/5] |
26 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'Sweet Release'
Just groovy shit, well encamped in their soul phase but relaxing into it, nine minute track length, wonderful instrumental, these chaps are too good etc
[4.5/5] |
25 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Tiny Tears'
Here it is, the Sopranos one - the unhappy fat gangster one. Yes it's a fantastic toon, esp the verse lyrics like:
'You've been thinking about the time, you've been dreading it
But now it seems that moment has arrived
She's at the edge of the bed, she gets in
But it's hard to turn the opposite way tonight'
As I've always said, grown up angst, relationship angst, but angsty.
[4.5/5] |
24 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Drunk Tank'
They bring the tension on this one as everything does discordant and woozy, insane piano notes - you're drunk, something bad has gone down, you're fucked.
'No more fists on the end of these arms...just these hands trembling'.
[4.5/5] |
23 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'Can We Start Again'
A soul hand clapper no less, catchy and if not exactly happy, it's upbeat.
[4.5/5] |
22 | | Tindersticks Working for the Man
'For Those'
Aw man, the keyboard one that's almost twee - some of their most enjoyable lyrics.
'And I've lost you
I was cheated
It was something belonged only to me
And now it's gone through my own stupidity'
We all been there.
[5/5] |
21 | | Tindersticks No Treasure but Hope
'Trees Fall'
The band needed to write the chorus 'And oh, trees fall with no one to hear, Tears fall into our beer' and now they have. The highlight of their latest album, a classic nostalgic lament from the lads.
[5/5] |
20 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'My Sister'
The second spoken word tune and this is more wordy and more meaty as a story. Music suits the twists of the tale so well, the band are master of this sort of soundtrack-y approach.
[5/5] |
19 | | Tindersticks The Something Rain
'Slippin Shoes'
Rarely do Tindersticks truly SWING, despite the soul and jazz influence. They do here.
Has the GOAT slinky jazz Pink Panther outro from 3:42, just sayin.
[5/5] |
18 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'Second Chance Man'
Whatever that liquid filter they've applied to Staples' voice it works a dream here - a slow burner of a tune. I sort of identify, I used up a few 'last chances' in my time. They weren't 'last last chances' though, thankfully.
[5/5] |
17 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Until the Morning Comes'
Classic opening line to an album:
'My hands 'round your throat
If I kill you now, well, they will never know'
One of the prettiest, gentle choruses I've ever heard rendered strangely sinister due to the context established prior. Incredible, and underrated, album opener.
[5/5] |
16 | | Tindersticks The Hungry Saw
'The Turns We Took'
The perfect album closer, their best album closer for sure - and they're good at closing albums. A little love song to the band's own career, brings a tear to the eye - who said they couldn;t do joyful.
Ok, it's a little nostalgic and bittersweet but still - epic and undeniably beautiful.
[5/5] |
15 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'A Night In'
This is where the second album really lurches into action, doomy and finally the band fully embrace those strings - it swells to crescendos of emotion...and then back to a lonely figure lost in regrets.
'I has shoes full of holes when you first took me in...and I'd like to keep them'.
[5/5] |
14 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Patchwork'
Oh Patchwork, a song like an old friend, it has a cosiness - this is a warmer version of 'Blood' in a lot of ways. The lyrics are still no picnic:
'Cos this blue's a swirling ocean
The green: the ambition
The red is the guilt...
...
There's a lot of red'
Classic stuff again.
[5/5] |
13 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'Sweet memory'
A very different approach to the vocals here, clean sounding, pure - and the arrangement is soul perfection.
'Came like lightning through my heart
The folds of your skin
Watching the sun go by
I can taste no other'
If those aren't beautiful, evocative lyrics I don't know what you'll find which are...
[5/5] |
12 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'Travelling Light'
Yeah, a DUET. Tindersticks are old fashioned sorts who still give good duet, an underrated song writing form. Don't know much about Carla Torgerson but she brings the celluloid magic to this.
This is a good old sparring match style duet - 'Times are hard, I'll only pick them out, wish I was going back'...
'Times are good you'll be glad you ran away' etc
An old school classic.
[5/5] |
11 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Let's Pretend'
Another big strings number from 'Curtains', typical of the band but typically excellent you'd have to say.
[5/5] |
10 | | Tindersticks Waiting for the Moon
'My Oblivion'
Their 'someone commission this band for a Bond theme' moment.
[5/5] |
9 | | Tindersticks Can Our Love
'Dying Slowly'
Such a Tindersticks song name, and again the song builds a head of steam and then the beautiful fade. Obviously there's some humour and knowing exaggeration from the band in a lot of their work - 'this dying slowly...seemed better than shooting myself'. Matt Berninger maybe owes Staples a little debt when he delivers similar lines in a similar way...'I should live in salt for leaving you behind!' etc
[5/5] |
8 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'City Sickness'
'I have the city sickness, growing inside me
So this is where I ran for freedom
Where I man may not be free'
Is this an ode to an angry desperate wank?
'I have these hands beating with love for you
And you're not here to touch'
Almost certainly. Sounds great though.
[5/5] |
7 | | Tindersticks Simple Pleasures
'If You're Looking for a Way Out'
Back in '99 this marked a change in approach from the band - a cover given a 'mature' smooth soul reading. But oh my did this new approach suit them like a glove - this has to be one of the most effective cover versions ever.
The original 1980 version by Odyssey is delightfully cheesy so check.
[5/5] |
6 | | Tindersticks The Waiting Room
'How He Entered'
My favourite of their spoken word tunes (and you need to embrace the Tindersticks spoken word tunes!) - I see this as a sort of exaggerated self effacing auto biographical tale from Staples.
'Just to be sure, to be sure everyone knew just how lost he was
Telling his stories, he broke onions and sang his songs
‘The street-walkers carol’, ‘Soft tissue’
'The fear of emptiness'
'Planting holes to grow some money’
These were his songs and this was how he came in'
When I saw this one performed live they had black and white images of weddings and dancing - it has that 'out of time' feel.
[5/5] |
5 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Jism'
Man do I love jism...that organ and skipping drum beat, something so uncomfortable about this one, obsession in all its resplendent ugliness here. 'And I tell you with my tongue between your toes, if there's ever anyone else, don't let them do this'.
[5/5] |
4 | | Tindersticks Curtains
'Another Night In'
The quintessential Tindersticksy sounding Tindersticks song - so achingly sad strings and Staples in his crooning mode, this one just has some of the best melodies and in particular the closing segment where the string swell cuts at 4 minutes and slowly Staples is all but left alone with his low quivering voice is incredibly moving. Better than the far more famous 'Tiny Tears'!
[5/5] |
3 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Marbles'
Speaking of mysterioius, now you have this...'a handful of marbles thrown in a dustbin'. Is this a case of ill fated lovers? A murder mystery? 'closing in around the three of us' - a love triangle? 'I saw you in a tin bath in red water'? Whatever it all means there are some standout lyrics that can't help but grab the listener.
'You knew you were lost as soon as you saw her
You saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps'
The music expertly adds to the mania/dream fugue.
[5/5] |
2 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks II
'She's Gone'
One of their most unassuming and simple...just a minute, a theme is developing here already. There is an argument to be made that the band are at their best at their most toned down - and I think it's an argument I'll be making, though of course it's just personal taste. People describe this as just Staples missing his daughter but I always read it as the distance has been forced upon the protagonist...they've left him. It could be sweet..or maybe tragic.
[5/5] |
1 | | Tindersticks Tindersticks
'Blood'
One of their most unassuming songs, it even has a false start for chrissakes, but for me this is the true essence of the Tindersticks and ushers in a run of four absolutely perfect songs on their debut.
'There'll be another ugly scene tonight
As we refuse to accept the obvious
We panic and jump up and down
Trying to suck those last breaths'
[5/5] |
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