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.
Bathtime
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All over my naked hands
Deep into the weave of the clothes I wear
And every step brings another
Every hour adds some more
Are the taps running, darling?
Is the air thick with steam?
Can I find some place to cry these tears of shame?
Every step brings another
Every hour adds some more
Till I'm on the other side leaning on your door
There's a smell so sweet it's sickly
It follows me into the room
Hangs in the air like rotting perfume
I never bathe in it, darling
Got down on my hands and knees
Got in so far, I became, well, a part of it all
I've been wading through it
Don't you know it's up to my neck?
And it won't be long 'fore it's over my head
And it's the thought of you in my mind, keeps me
Thought I knew these streets, and how they turn
Could always find my way home
There's something there, can't leave it alone
The trains they run all night
We could leave everything behind
Just bring that dress you bought when we first met
I know it's faded, darling
I know it's tattered and worn
In that dress, I could never love you more
I've been wading through it
Don't you know it's up to my neck?
And it won't be long 'fore it's over my head
And I can suck it into my love, breathe it in
The opening line of this song paints a vivid picture of a city full of filth and grime, which the singer is unable to rid himself of even when he is naked, as it is so ingrained in his clothes and skin. Every step he takes in this city adds to the dirt and takes him closer to his lover's door. The singer seems to be seeking refuge with his lover, as the following lines suggest. He asks whether the taps are running and whether the air is thick with steam, as though he's hoping for a hot bath to wash away his shame.
The chorus repeats the line, "Every step brings another, every hour adds some more," which reinforces the idea that the singer is slowly being consumed by the filth of this city. The second verse introduces the smell of something sweet but sickly, which the singer describes as rotting perfume that follows him into the room. He confesses that he's been wading through this city and it's already up to his neck, and it won't be long before it's over his head. However, the thought of his lover gives him hope and keeps him going.
The bridge introduces a glimmer of hope as the singer realizes he doesn't know the streets as well as he thought he did, and there's something there that he can't leave alone. He suggests leaving everything behind and taking a train with his lover, even picking out a dress she bought when they first met. The final lines of the song bring everything full circle, as the singer suggests breathing in the filth and taking it into his love.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a city filth that lingers
The dirt and grime of the city has seeped into every aspect of my life
All over my naked hands
My hands have become soiled by the filth of the city
Deep into the weave of the clothes I wear
Even my clothes have become contaminated by the city grime
And every step brings another
Every step I take in the city only adds to the filth on me
Every hour adds some more
As time passes, the city grime accumulates more and more
Till I'm on the other side leaning on your door
The only thing that keeps me going is the thought of being with you
Are the taps running, darling?
I am asking if you have drawn a bath for me
Is the air thick with steam?
I am asking if the bathroom is filled with steam from the hot water
Can I find some place to cry these tears of shame?
I need a place where I can let out my feelings of shame and disgust from the city grime
There's a smell so sweet it's sickly
There is a pervasive odor in the air that is both sweet and sickening
It follows me into the room
The smell is so overpowering that it persists even inside my personal space
Hangs in the air like rotting perfume
The smell is present like perfume, but has an unpleasant rotting quality
I never bathe in it, darling
I do not want to be consumed by the city grime
Got down on my hands and knees
I am willing to do anything to escape the filth of the city
Got in so far, I became, well, a part of it all
The city grime has become a part of me and my identity
I've been wading through it
I have been slowly making my way through the city grime
Don't you know it's up to my neck?
The city grime has now become so high that it is at my neck level
And it won't be long 'fore it's over my head
Soon enough, the city grime will completely consume me
And it's the thought of you in my mind, keeps me
The only thing that keeps me going is the thought of being with you
Thought I knew these streets, and how they turn
I used to be familiar with the city streets and thought I knew which way to go
Could always find my way home
I always knew how to get back to my safe haven, my home
There's something there, can't leave it alone
Despite the city grime, there is something about the city that attracts me and I cannot resist it
The trains they run all night
The trains in the city operate throughout the night
We could leave everything behind
We have the opportunity to abandon our current lives and start anew
Just bring that dress you bought when we first met
I want you to bring that special dress you had when we first met
I know it's faded, darling
I am aware that the dress is no longer in its original state
I know it's tattered and worn
I know that the dress may be ripped or damaged
In that dress, I could never love you more
You would look so beautiful in that dress, and I would love you even more than I do now
And I can suck it into my love, breathe it in
I am so consumed by the city grime that I am breathing it in as a part of my love for you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STUART ASHTON STAPLES, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, DAVID LEONARD BOULTER, NEIL JOSEPH STEVEN FRASER, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, ALISTAIR MACAULAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind