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.
Héré
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But success - it never comes
And I'm the only one who laughs
At your jokes when they are so bad
And your jokes are always bad
But they're not as bad as this...
[Chorus]
We'll be waiting, waiting where...
Everything's ending here
And all the sterile striking
It defends an empty dock
You cast away and rain upon your forehead
Where the mist's for hire
If it's just too clear
Let's spend our last
Quarter stance randomly
Go down to the outlet once again
Painted portrait of minions and slaves
Crotch mavens and one night plays
Are they the only ones who laugh
At the jokes when they are so bad?
And the jokes are always bad
But they're not as bad as this
[Chorus]
And all the Spanish candles unsold
Have gone away to this
And a "run-on piece of mount on"
Trembles, shivers, runs down the freeway
I guess she spent her last quarter randomly
I guess a guess is the best I'll do
The song Here by Tindersticks is a melancholic ballad about feeling lost, unsuccessful and alone. The opening lines "I was dressed for success, but success - it never comes" indicate that the singer is trying to create a facade of success, but inwardly recognizes that they have failed. The repetition of the phrase "and your jokes are always bad, but they're not as bad as this" throughout the song suggests a deepening sense of hopelessness and despair.
The chorus of the song invites the listener to join in a prayer, implying that perhaps solace can be found in a spiritual or communal experience. However, the imagery of "everything's ending here" and "an empty dock you cast away" suggests that even this prayer may be futile. The final lines of the song, "I guess a guess is the best I'll do" leaves the listener with a sense of uncertainty and resignation.
Overall, the lyrics of Here by Tindersticks are a poignant reflection on the universal themes of failure, loneliness, and the search for meaning in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I was dressed for success
I put effort into dressing well
But success - it never comes
Despite my efforts, success eludes me
And I'm the only one who laughs
I laugh at your bad jokes, despite no one else finding them funny
At your jokes when they are so bad
I humor you despite your jokes being terrible
And your jokes are always bad
Your jokes are consistently poor in quality
But they're not as bad as this
The current situation is worse than your jokes
Come join us in a prayer
Let's pray together
We'll be waiting, waiting where...
We will be waiting, but it is unclear where
Everything's ending here
It feels as though everything is coming to an end
And all the sterile striking
All the empty, imposing structures
It defends an empty dock
The structures protect something that is no longer there
You cast away and rain upon your forehead
You discard something and it falls back on you
Where the mist's for hire
In a place where illusions are sold
If it's just too clear
If everything is too obvious
Let's spend our last
Let's use up our remaining resources
Quarter stance randomly
Trying to make it through by sheer luck
Go down to the outlet once again
Return to the same old place
Painted portrait of minions and slaves
A depiction of faceless, powerless individuals
Crotch mavens and one night plays
People obsessed with sex and those who engage in brief sexual encounters
Are they the only ones who laugh
Do only those types of people find your jokes funny?
And the jokes are always bad
Your jokes are consistently poor in quality
And all the Spanish candles unsold
Unwanted Spanish candles
Have gone away to this
They have ended up in this place
And a "run-on piece of mount on"
An inexplicable phrase or thought
Trembles, shivers, runs down the freeway
Something trembles and shakes wildly
I guess she spent her last quarter randomly
She used up her final resources without a plan
I guess a guess is the best I'll do
I am uncertain, so I can only make a guess
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Scott Kannberg, Stephen Joseph Malkmus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind