Review Summary: Tindersticks is right on the money with their unique and beautiful debut album.
Tindersticks offers a wide variety of moods and emotions and instruments, which is a nice alternative to the legions of one-dimensional bands throughout the years in rock. They come from Nottingham, England, and have amassed a large group of fanatical followers throughout Europe. Being an Idaho boy, it was only by chance that I bumped into Tindersticks while reading about and listening to music on the internet. Tindersticks got together in 1991 and came out with their self titled album in 1993. Their sound has little in common with their British, 90’s contemporaries, like Radiohead, Oasis, and Blur. The members are:
Stuart Ashton (S.A.) Staples- lead vocals, guitar
Dickon Hinchliffe- violin, vocals, guitar, piano, string and brass arrangements
Neil Fraser- lead guitar
David Boulter- keyboards, percussion
Alasdair Robert De Villeneuve Macaulay- drums, percussion, trumpet
Mark Colwill- bass guitar
Tindersticks, the band’s first album, shows that they already had their sound figured out. This 21 song masterpiece is long, but its really an easy listen. With Staple’s sonorous vocals and Hinchliffe’s instrumental talents, Tindersticks creates a moody, jazzy feeling that is sometimes happy, sometimes sad, and every emotion in between.
“Nectar”, with its up-beat feeling and beautiful strings starts the album off perfectly. Staples mumbles almost inaudibly, which you get used too. It is definatley one of the brighter songs. “Tyed” shows the murky side of Tindersticks. Screeching violins and a dissident trumpet make a feeling of confusion throughout the song. “Sweet, Sweet Man Part 1” is a cute little song that leads into “Whiskey & Water” is a thoughtful song that features a crunchy guitar and another screechy violin that ends with a whole atmosphere of the mentioned instruments and beautiful strings that somehow sounds sadly lovely.
“Blood” is a nice, laid-back, guitar-driven that is perfectly complimented by a sweet, little flute. “City Sickness” is one of my favorite songs. A angelic string accompaniment makes it a standout on the album. “Patchwork” is a nice but forgettable song that showcases a jazzy flute. “Marbles” might be my favorite song on the album. Staples speaks in a low rumble instead of his usual vocal delivery. The lyrics are absolutely spellbinding. I’m not really sure what it all means, but that perhaps adds to the riveting song.
“The Walt Blues” is a short, weird song that really makes you wonder what Tindersticks is trying to get at. You quickly forget with “Milky Teeth”, one of the fastest songs on the album. This time the instrument is a high, whiny violin that makes the whole song uneasy sounding. “Sweet, Sweet Man Part 2” is another one minute long song that introduces “Jism”. Tindersticks shows off their “haunted forest” sound. Spooky organs and sad strings make up a sound that is Tinderstick’s own.
The album continues onward with “Piano Song”, where Staples sings “Shut up, I’m thinking” “I’m thinking, so shut up”. Despite it’s mean lyrics, it’s really a pleasant song. “Tie-Dye” jumps right back into that “haunted forest” mood with creepy organs and nasty sounding violins. Somehow, they make it all work. Towards the end an obscured guitar jumps into the fray, followed by a piano solo that makes 1:30 minutes of a chaotic yet unified sound. Don’t ask me how that works, you have to hear it to understand. “Raindrops” has a pretty piano shadowed by a trembling string accompanment. “Sweet, Sweet Man Part 3” follows, which ends the rather pointless “Sweet, Sweet Man” saga.
The album hits the final stretch with “Her”, which is charged with a furiously loud and fast acoustic guitar. Then a bass guitar comes in that reminds me of the James Bond theme, and then a brass part that reminds me of the Three Amigoes theme comes in. If you didn’t believe that this band was different, perhaps you do now. “Tea Stain” is just another chilling organ song, and “Drunk Tank” is another pleasant but clashing song. In “Paco De Renaldo’s Dream” Staples speaks in a low murmur while the instruments create some kind of espionage feeling that makes you feel like you’re in a classic spy movie. Very cool. The album wraps up with “The Not Knowing”, a simple ballad that is sadly happy.
Hopefully you are intrigued with Tindersticks, despite my shortcomings at trying to describe their unique sound. Hopefully their fan base will spread to America, I’m definatley a fan now. Also, this is just their first of many albums, in which they explore the possibilities of their talents, from minimalism to textured sound-scapes.
Highlights: Nectar, City Sickness, Marbles, Tie-Dye, Her
Rating: 4.5
