I Can't Believe You Don't Own This F%#kin' Record: Tindersticks - Tindersticks (1995)

TINDERSTICKS - TINDERSTICKS (1995)

The terrific English band Tindersticks has two self-titled albums, one released in 1993 and one in 1995. We'll be discussing the latter, just so we're on the same page about which wonderful Tindersticks album we're gushing about here.

This record changed my perception of what modern rock music could sound like. Now that I'm older, I keep seeing something about Lee Hazlewood-inspired sound, but at 15-years-old, I did not know who Lee Hazlewood was, and to me, the Tindersticks was as far from Nancy Sinatra as you could get (I was wrong, by the way).

"Travelling Light," the duet with Seattle band The Walkabouts' Carla Torgerson, was my introduction to this band and its second record, and what a fitting intro it is. Those of you who listened to the copy I attached to the previous post will know what I'm talking about when I say this song is so good, it's addictive. This beautiful song, about the break-up of a romance and the emotional baggage it leaves, blends lead singer Stuart Staples's and Carla Torgerson's distinctly masculine and feminine voices heartbreakingly. The propulsive strings in the chorus have to be heard to be believed. It's an overlooked gem of the 90's.

"Travelling Light" threatens to overshadow the rest of this album's strong work like "A Night In," "She's Gone," "No More Affairs," "Sleepy Song" and personal fave, the ballad "Tiny Tears," which actually found its way onto a "Sopranos" episode. Writing about this album is like dancing about architecture; you just have to hear it.

Here you go:





I think the video for "No More Affairs" is sex-say!





Tindersticks' "Tiny Tears" on Season 1 Episode 12 of "The Sopranos!!"

Love the hell out of this record. I want "Tiny Tears" at my funeral. Or "U Can't Touch This." Not sure what tone I want yet.

Special treat...Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood FTW!



Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood - "Summer Wine" (1967)