Tindersticks

Never heard of Tindersticks before… but I feel like I heard this lead singer’s distinctive voice somewhere before. Couldn’t figure it out, but I think there is another album that reminds me of this sound on the list. Regardless, this is a beautiful album. Love the orchestration, the vocals, the songs - this was a great soundtrack for my evening. The duet “Traveling Light” was really nice… then you get the partially-spoken-word Cherry Blossoms with that sparse piano plinking out a melody. It all hit me just right. Really love this!

Tindersticks is the second album by chamber pop band Tindersticks. Their sound is dominated by the distinctive sound of the voice of the lead singer. I heard them live on several occasions and then he is even more impressive. The album consists mostly of slow songs ("Talk to Me", "No More Affairs", "Mistakes") and ballads like the wonderful duet "Travelling Light".

It's very tempting to call this Discount Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. The similarities are pretty strong - so much so that apart from Cave's voice being rather different to Staples, one could fairly easily mistake one for the other. That being said - both are very good acts, and this is a good album.

A pleasant album with a unique vocalist. I was reminded, at times, of Morphine and Future Islands. I didn't enjoy this as much as either of those, though.

Never heard of tinder sticks before, but really enjoyed this atmospheric, moody and still beautiful. Added to my frequent rotation.

Super interesting.

Jazz, Rock: Art Rock. Bonito pero demasiado demasiado tranquilo. Añado a mis canciones favoritas Travelling Lights.

I ended up really liking this after it didn't make a great initial impression of me. More moody and atmospheric than I was expecting. Enjoyed it for sure.

Beautiful

Really enjoyed this.

Ah yes, that second Tindersticks album... Here's a band whose most prominent artistic output basically boils down to playing the same slow despondent song all over again, ha ha ha. Yet it's such an *excellent* song template that you can spend hours exploring their long discography, to then discover all the tiniest variations on that bloody old tale about love, lust, and everything in between. Singer Stuart Staples sums it up better than anyone else in a tune from that later LP *Waiting From The Moon*, called "Sometimes It Hurts"... Winking at both fans and non-fans there -- just as he performs yet another composition about unrequited love -- Staples goes: "You're wasting your time / Coming round here / What got you thinking / I had a different song?". Indeed it would be foolish to expect Tindersticks to completely abandon their 'sad men routine' one day (except for very rare forays into other tones, in some secondary releases here and there...). More than three decades in, however, this situation forces us to pop the difficult question: if you had to only keep *one* Tindersticks LP, which one would it be? Well, I agree with this user that this second eponymous album is "the one". First because it harbors a wealth of some of the best and most iconic cuts ever penned and performed by the British band, and this bundled into one single package, not so neat -- it's a double album after all -- but at least comprehensive enough. For a starter pack, you could then add parts of the first (also eponymous) debut, parts of *Curtains*, the second half of *Waiting For The Moon*, and also the post-hiatus LP *The Something Rain* (where the band's partly new line-up slightly adapted their core sound, interestingly, without ever changing its main ingredients either)... But the best entry point -- and still the most satisfactory Tindersticks LP to this day -- is obviously this 1995 album. Secondly, this double-album does not merely have "best" or "iconic" cuts in it, it also includes Tindersticks' frigging 'signature song': "Tiny Tears". Here, the 'song template' I mentioned earlier has reached the status of a platonic ideal for the band's artistry. Such a perfect chorus, such perfect orchestration, and such a stellar way to turn a slow sad song into a real earworm... The first time I've heard this track, it was illustrating Tony Soprano's depression onscreen, and it has never left me since. There's also a wry ironical undercurrent in Tindersticks' songwriting, by the way, which made it a perfect match for that TV series and what it dealt with. And "Tiny Tears" is surely the best visit card for all those assets, here gathered all at once. That being said, it would also be unfair and even nonsensical to sum up the whole album with "Tiny Tears". "A Night In", "Seaweed", "Talk To Me", "Travelling Light", "She's Gone", "Mistakes", "Sleepy Song"... All of those compositions, and more, are not merely "good", they're *great*, and it's actually quite tricky to describe the subtle details that can very quickly lead you to distinguish those songs from one another, at least once you get familiar with them. *Just take my word for it*, is the best that I can do here. Simply listen to the atonal glissandos in the strings-laden opener "El Diablo en El Ojo", and maybe you'll get the scope of the arrangements and orchestrations that Tindersticks' are able to harness at their best. If you're digging this, you'll be digging the rest of the album. Of course, I can also admit that in the first half of their career, Tindersticks were pretty bad at self-editing their output, and this 70-minute release seems to underline this flaw for sure. Yet, contrary to some of the band's other early long LPs, I think the length is mostly warranted here. Some of the "interludes" are cinematic as hell, and bring a lot of charm to the album's flow, instead of hampering it. I would only have taken out a couple of tracks towards the end: first, "Cherry Blossoms", with its 'moody', (near-)instrumental -- the only one testing my patience in here -- and then maybe also "Vertrauen III" -- perfectly pretty with its featured musical saw, but ultimately devoid of real stakes. Yet I guess that once a band goes for a double vinyl so as to have enough space to include all the gems, you might as well throw in a couple of fillers to round up the tracklist. Final verdict: this LP is showcasing some of the very best work of the band that released it, and it is also one of the good examples of how you can pull off the double-album thing without losing your way. Pretty ironic for a collection of songs mostly presenting characters that sound utterly lost as to how they can lead their love lives... Looks like love is sometimes even trickier than recording great albums. But under the most skilled and artful hands, the tears that love can trigger may at least turn from "tiny" to "huge". Let those tears run all over me. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5/5 for the musicianship and production values + 4.5/5 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 97 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 112 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 232 --- Hey Émile, j'ai répondu sous Demon Days ET ta sélection pour la users list ! 🙂

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: A night in, Tiny tears, Traveling light

I felt a definite affection for this, though it could be uncharitably characterized as mumbled, signing-adjacent monologuing over noodly improvisational elevator music covers. Musically and lyrically it's quite a bit more than that, though it wouldn’t kill the singer to speak up a bit more and enunciate. Extra point for chutzpa.

The low voice makes for a mysterious atmosphere. Cool album

I have heard this before somewhere although I can't think where. And yes, it's special. Quite unique in it's almost nonchalant swagger

Not bad. Quite mellow. Singer sounds like Nick Cave. Would need to be in the right mood to listen to it.

It was fine

Kinda mysterious

This guy sings like he's desperately trying to keep a frog in his mouth. Actually pretty good though. Chill, very chill, a bit too chill (and long) at times, but it's a vibe.

Making another tally under "guy that mumbles and slurs his words into your ear for too long" albums

Like Dollar Store Nick Cave. Solid chamber/baroque pop. Favourite songs: Tiny Tears, Travelling Light, Snowy in F# Major, My Sister, Talk To Me, Mistakes Least favourite songs: Seaweed 3/5

Story telling of Nick Cave, Vocals of The Editors, The mood of Queens of the Stone Age, Lyrics like The Divine comedy. Interesting combo. “My Sister” was a journey.

Apart from the Vic Reeves Pub Singer style vocals this is a pleasant enough listen.

Wasn’t really in the mood for an hour+ of bargain bin Nick Cave. The LP is well-constructed, but these sparse, gloomy talkathon pieces always feel more audiobook than album to me.

Not quite nic cave. But also not quite as rock as the national. This is right between two very distinct sounds with a singer with a low voice. Frankly I found this one to be a bit boring. None of the songs felt memorable and after listening I went through it again to try and get a better grasp. Just not ideal. 5.2/10

Psychedelic pop, synth-pop, disco, R&B. Me ha aburrido. Un 2.

Idk man

Hmm. It’s pretty, yes. I like the aural pastiche painted, mmm. The lyrical content is evocative and ardent, sure. Does it make me want to listen again? Mehhhhh….

I did not enjoy this. Too long and the singing just annoyed me. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 2/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Psychedelic pop, synth-pop, disco, R&B. Me ha aburrido. Un 2.

I found Tindersticks boring, that morose style grates on me a lot. 2.

This user list has so many slow, tiring albums. What's up with that?

Both of their first two albums are maybe called Tindersticks and I have accidentally listened to parts of and both are too long and we don't need to post anymore 22 track albums Wikipedia says are 'chamber pop' okay? Per my rules I didn't finish so it's a 1

Nick Cave without the charisma