The band has a cult following in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, although the eclectic and unique sound Tindersticks possesses never made significant inroads in the mainstream.
Personnel
* Stuart Ashton Staples, born 14 November 1965 - Lead voice, guitar, melodica
* Dickon James Hinchliffe, born 9 July 1967 - violin, guitar, voice, piano, string and brass arrangements
* Neil Timothy Fraser, - born 22 November 1962 - lead guitar, vibraphone
* David Leonard Boulter, born 27 February 1965 - keyboards, percussion
* Alasdair Robert De Villeneuve Macaulay, born 2 August 1965 - drums, percussion, trumpet
* Mark Andrew Colwill, born 12 May 1960 - bass guitar
The band formed in late 1991, Staples, Boulter, Frazer, Macauley and Hinchcliffe having previously been members of Asphalt Ribbons. The final band line-up for the "old horse" mini-LP (1991) was: Stuart Staples (vocals) Dave Boulter (organ & accordion) Neil Fraser (guitar) Dickon Hinchliffe (Guitar & strings) Al Macauley (percussion & drums) John Thompson (bass). Mark Colwill was recruited when John Thompson left the Asphalt Ribbons, but it is not sure if he played any gigs under the Asphalt Ribbons name. Then they changed their name to Tindersticks after Stuart A. Staples discovered a box of German matches on a Greek beach.
Tindersticks started recording demo tapes in 1992, and were signed by Tippy Toe Records who released their first single, "Patchwork".
Their self-titled first and second albums established their signature sound and received widespread critical acclaim. Their live performances, often augmented by large string sections and even, on occasion, a full orchestra, were rapturously received. (The live album Bloomsbury Theatre 12.3.95 is a recording of one such concert.) By the time of the third album, Curtains, however, it was clear that a change of direction was called for. There was a certain ennui to the songs, and the lengthy "Ballad of Tindersticks" was a weary swipe at the pressures of being a touring band.
The fourth album, Simple Pleasure, lived up to its title with a series of snappy, direct songs influenced by soul music. The female backing vocals on several tracks, and the respectful cover of Odyssey's "If You're Looking For A Way Out", signalled the band's wish to move towards lighter, more soulful material. However, the inner sleeve's documentation of the number of takes each track went through was evidence that the band continued to adopt a painstaking approach to recording.
The fifth album, Can Our Love, continued the band's soulful direction, in particular evidence on the tender "Sweet Release" and in the nod to the Chi-Lites in the title of "Chilitetime".
The sixth and most recent album, Waiting For The Moon, was more stripped down and introspective in nature, particularly on the harrowing "4.48 Psychosis" (based on the play of the same name by the British playwright Sarah Kane) and "Sometimes It Hurts". Only the bouncy "Just A Dog" lightened the otherwise melancholy mood of the album.
In 2005 Staples embarked on a solo career and there was resultant speculation that the band had split. Staples has so far produced two solo albums, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04 and Leaving Songs. The title of the second album, and Staples' notes on it, indicate that Tindersticks may indeed be at an end: "These are songs written on the verge of leaving the things I loved and stepping into a new unknown life, both musically and personally. I was always aware that these songs were the end of something, a kind of closing a circle of a way of writing that I started so long ago and I knew I had to move on from."
In September 2006, the band played a one-off concert at London's Barbican Centre, performing their second album in full with a nine-member string section and two brass players, including former collaborator Terry Edwards on trumpet. This concert brought the band's members back together. A new recording process in 2007 resulted in a new album, The Hungry Saw, which was released on April 28th 2008.
In the meantime, in July 2007, Island Records had released The BBC Sessions, a double CD compilation of the band's sessions for BBC radio programmes. Also in 2007, a stripped-down line-up of three of the original band, Staples, Boulter and Fraser, spent time writing and recording in a newly-equipped studio in Limousin, France. They were joined by Thomas Belhom on drums and Dan McKinna on bass, with Ian Caple engineering. The resulting album, The Hungry Saw, was released on Beggars Banquet in April 2008. Tindersticks played a number of other European dates during the summer festival season and also announced a winter 2008 European tour.
In 2010, the eighth album Falling Down a Mountain was released on 4AD / Constellation Records with a changed band line-up, with Earl Harvin replacing Belhom on drums and David Kitt, a solo artist in his own right, joining the band on guitar and vocals.
The group's ninth album The Something Rain was released in February 2012.
As well as their nine studio albums, the band has produced the soundtracks for four films by the French director Claire Denis: Nenette et Boni,Trouble Every Day, 35 Rhums and White Material
They recorded a cover of the Four Tops song, "What Is A Man", for the theme to the British TV series The Sins.
The Tindersticks song Tiny Tears was featured prominently in the Series 1 episode "Isabella" of HBO's The Sopranos. Additionally, a version of "Running Wild" was played during the ending credits of the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet". In the Season One Finale of Brotherhood, "El Diablo En El Ojo" is used twice.
* Tindersticks (aka First Album) (This Way Up, 1993)
* Tindersticks (aka Second Album) (This Way Up, 1995)
* Curtains (This Way Up, 1997)
* Simple Pleasure (Island, 1999)
* Can Our Love... (Beggar's Banquet, 2001)
* Waiting for the Moon (Beggar's Banquet, 2003)
* BBC Sessions (2007)
On 17th October 2014, Tindersticks released the commissioned soundscapes from the In Flanders Fields WW1 museum in Ypres, Belgium.
See the band's site at www.tindersticks.co.uk.
4.48 Psychosis
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do you offer your friends to make them so supportive?
What do you offer?
100, 91, 84, 81, 72, 69, 58, 44, 37, 38, 42, 21, 28, 12, 7
Hatch opens
Stark light
The television talks
Full of eyes
The spirits of sight
And now I am so afraid
I'm seeing things
I'm hearing things
I don't know who I am
Tongue out
Thought stalled
The piecemeal crumple of my mind
Where do I start?
Where do I stop?
How do I stop?
How do I stop?
How do I stop?
How do I stop?
At 4:48
When sanity visits
For one hour and twelve minutes I am in my right mind
When it has passed I shall be gone again
Remember the light and believe the light
Nothing matters more
Hatch opens
Stark light
A table, two chairs and no window
Here am I
And there is my body
Dancing on glass
In accident time where there are no accidents
You have no choice
The choice comes after
Cut out my tongue
Tear out my hair
Cut off my limbs
But leave me my love
I would rather have lost my legs
Pulled out my teeth
Gouged down my eyes
Than lost my love
At 4:48 I shall sleep
What do you offer?
Hatch opens
Stark light
And Nothing
Nothing
See nothing
Still black water
As deep as forever
As cold as the sky
As still as my heart when your voice is gone
I shall freeze in hell
At 4:48
In the happy hour
When clarity visits
Warm darkness
Which soaks my eyes
The lyrics of Tindersticks's song 4.48 Psychosis touch upon the experience of mental illness and the struggles that come with it. The opening lines, "But you have friends, what do you offer your friends to make them so supportive? What do you offer?" seem to express the feeling of being a burden to others while dealing with a mental health condition. The singer wonders what they can offer their friends to make them want to stay by their side and support them.
The song then goes on to describe hallucinations and a feeling of losing touch with reality. The repetition of the lines "How do I stop?" and "Where do I start? Where do I stop?" give the sense of being lost and overwhelmed. The reference to 4.48 is a nod to the time of day when the singer feels the most stable, but also knows that their stability will not last.
The last two stanzas of the song describe the feeling of being trapped and helpless, as if there is no escape from the darkness of mental illness. The lines "But leave me my love. I would rather have lost my legs" express the idea that love and connection are more valuable than anything physical, even the ability to walk or see.
Overall, the lyrics of 4.48 Psychosis are a powerful exploration of the experience of mental illness and the emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
But you have friends
What do you offer your friends to make them so supportive? What do you offer?
100, 91, 84, 81, 72, 69, 58, 44, 37, 38, 42, 21, 28, 12, 7
Indicating the decline of mental health over time
Hatch opens
Beginning of a new experience
Stark light
Bright and intense light
The television talks
Sounds and images from TV perceived
Full of eyes
Attention-grabbing and stimulating images on TV
The spirits of sight
Intense visual hallucinations
And now I am so afraid
The overwhelming fear caused by the sensory experience
I'm seeing things
Perceiving hallucinations
I'm hearing things
Perceiving auditory hallucinations
I don't know who I am
Loss of sense of identity due to mental illness
Tongue out
Expression of frustration and confusion
Thought stalled
Mental process is stuck and unable to progress
The piecemeal crumple of my mind
Fragmented and disintegrated mental state
Where do I start?
Experiencing feelings of confusion and bewilderment
Where do I stop?
Feeling lost and helpless in the overwhelming experience
How do I stop?
Desperate to make the experience stop
At 4:48
A specific time frame of mental stability
When sanity visits
Clear and focused mindset
For one hour and twelve minutes I am in my right mind
A brief moment of clarity in the midst of mental struggle
When it has passed I shall be gone again
Mental instability returns
Remember the light and believe the light
Holding onto hope amidst mental darkness
Nothing matters more
The importance of holding onto hope
A table, two chairs and no window
A confined and isolated setting
Here am I
Existential questioning about one's place and purpose
And there is my body
A dissociative experience of detachment from one's physical self
Dancing on glass
Vulnerability and fragility felt in the overwhelming experience
In accident time where there are no accidents
Experiencing the world in a disordered and chaotic way
You have no choice
Feeling helpless in the experience
The choice comes after
Making choices after the experience is over
Cut out my tongue
Extreme acts of self-harm symbolizing desperation
Tear out my hair
Feeling overwhelmed to the point of self-harm
Cut off my limbs
Willingness to sacrifice physical ability for mental clarity
But leave me my love
The importance of holding onto that which is meaningful amidst struggle
I would rather have lost my legs
The value of mental clarity over physical ability
Pulled out my teeth
Willingness to endure physical pain rather than mental anguish
Gouged down my eyes
Desperation to escape the overwhelming sensory experience
Than lost my love
The importance of having meaningful relationships
At 4:48 I shall sleep
Relief and temporary escape from mental struggle through sleep
And Nothing
Feeling of emptiness and hopelessness
Nothing
Existential questioning of material presence
See nothing
Lack of sensory experience due to mental breakdown
Still black water
A feeling of being physically submerged in darkness and despair
As deep as forever
Endless and infinite depths of despair
As cold as the sky
Feeling of a cold and distant world
As still as my heart when your voice is gone
A sense of deadness and stagnation in the overwhelming experience
I shall freeze in hell
Feeling trapped and unable to escape mental anguish
In the happy hour
Momentary experience of happiness amidst struggle
When clarity visits
Feeling of clear-mindedness and relief
Warm darkness
Paradoxical experience of comfort amidst darkness
Which soaks my eyes
Overwhelming and soothing sensory experience
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALISTAIR MACAULEY, DAVID BOULTER, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, NEIL TIMOTHY FRASER, SARAH KANE, STUART ASHTON STAPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind