Tindersticks are an alternative band from Nottingham, England. Their sound … Read Full Bio ↴Tindersticks are an alternative band from Nottingham, England. Their sound is characterized by a synthesis of orchestral backing, lounge jazz, and soul; the lush orchestrations of multi-instrumentalist Dickon Hinchliffe and the smoky baritone of lead vocalist Stuart A. Staples are the band's hallmarks. Tindersticks have employed electric guitars, as most rock bands have done, but augment their instrumentation with a wide array of instruments: Rhodes piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone, violin, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, bassoon, Hammond organ, and many more are prominently utilized in the music of Tindersticks.

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.

Don
Tindersticks Lyrics

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See her there
She hangs from me
See her face
She can't let go
I can't look in here eyes

She's holding on
She needed this to hurt me so

So it shot out of me
As though all of the love just got ripped out of me

She said I'm such a sap, I'm such a jerk
How can I ever forget the way that we are
Spend all your time with your eyes on the ground
Looking for the stars

Say this is it
This is all there is
You have to remember this

This is all there is
So it shot out of me
As though all of the love just got ripped out of me

And just for that moment I saw in her eyes
How it all could be

It shot out of me
Spend all your time with your eyes on the ground
Looking for the stars

So it shot out of me
As though all of the love just got ripped out of me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Tindersticks’ song “Don” depict the aftermath of a heartbreak. The singer is struggling with intense emotions as he tries to detach himself from his ex-lover. The first stanza describes how she clings onto him desperately. The singer, however, cannot bear to look into her eyes as he feels the intensity of her grip. She needed to hurt him, and he acknowledges that it worked. The second stanza appears to be the singer’s stream of consciousness as he grapples with the reality of the situation. He recognizes how vulnerable he was, admitting that he’s a sap and a jerk. He seems to be trying to find a way to move on but is consumed by thoughts of how things used to be. He ultimately resigns himself to the fact that this is all there is, and he must remember that. The final stanza seems to be the singer reflecting on a moment when he saw the possibility of a different future. The final lines repeat the earlier refrain of the love being ripped out of him.

The song’s lyrics depict the sense of hopelessness and despair following a heartbreak, where the singer is struggling to come to terms with what has happened. Despite the sorrowful tone, the song is reflective and deeply emotional. The lyrics reveal the complicated nature of relationships and the difficulty in letting go. It is a poignant song that resonates with anyone who has experienced heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

See her there
Observing the presence of a woman

She hangs from me
The woman is holding on to the singer

See her face
Taking notice of her expression

She can't let go
The woman is incapable of releasing her hold

I can't look in her eyes
The singer is avoiding eye contact

She's holding on
The woman is maintaining her grip

She needed this to hurt me so
The woman clings on to cause pain

So it shot out of me
The singer's emotions burst through

As though all of the love just got ripped out of me
All affection departed

She said I'm such a sap, I'm such a jerk
The woman expressed disparaging remarks

How can I ever forget the way that we are
She questions how the relationship can be forgotten

Spend all your time with your eyes on the ground
Advice to look down instead of up

Looking for the stars
In search of hope

Say this is it
Acknowledging finality

This is all there is
Accepting reality

You have to remember this
An urging to hold on to the moment

And just for that moment I saw in her eyes
The singer caught a glimpse of what could have been

How it all could be
Realizing the potential of the relationship

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STUART ASHTON STAPLES, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, DAVID BOULTER, NEIL TIMOTHY FRASER, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, ALASDAIR MACAULAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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