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.
Jism
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'd have shown me in
I need to taste her pain
For encouragement
If she'd have known
She'd have shown me in
I need to taste her pain
See, I can only take it out on you
There's no-one else I can trust
See, I can only take it out on you
There's no-one else but us around
You hide these things so well
There's no finding
You hide these things so well
There's no finding, no finding
And the pink runs into the blue
There are no edges
How do I know where you are tonight?
Need these paper cuts
Need those gravel grinds
Need those pinches to wake me
Give up the drugs
Take the power I offer
Oh the deeper I go
The further I fall
The more I know
The tighter your grip around me
So easily broken
Running down your skin
And the pink runs into the blue
If there's ever anyone else, I'll understand
And kill them
And I'll overflow your every inlet
You will not cough and spit
You'll welcome me in
And I tell you with my tongue between your toes
If there's ever anyone else
Don't let them do this
And I'll laugh and revel
As you scratch and crawl
If there's ever anyone else
Just show them the ugly mess
You hide these things so well
There's no finding
You hide these things so well
There's no finding, no finding
The lyrics of Tindersticks' song Jism are intense and cryptic, featuring a protagonist who seems to be obsessed with someone and is willing to cause himself and his target pain in pursuit of an achievement. The opening lines "If she'd have known / she'd have shown me in / I need to taste her pain / for encouragement" suggest that the singer has a secret desire for someone, and needs to feel their pain in order to motivate himself to continue. The repeated phrase "There's no finding" also suggests that the object of his obsession is elusive and difficult to understand.
The lyrics become increasingly disturbing as they progress, with the singer indicating that he would be willing to kill anyone who interferes with his fixation on this person: "If there's ever anyone else, I'll understand / And kill them / And I'll overflow your every inlet / You will not cough and spit / You'll welcome me in." The suggestion of violence and control is chilling, as is the indication that the target of his obsession is complicit in his desire for power over them: "Just show them the ugly mess / You hide these things so well."
Despite the unsettling narrative and themes of the lyrics, the song itself is hauntingly beautiful, with a slow, steady tempo and echoing instrumentation. The combination of the somber music and intense lyrics creates a hypnotic, almost otherworldly atmosphere that pulls the listener in and holds them captive.
Line by Line Meaning
If she'd have known
If she had known what I truly desire
She'd have shown me in
She would have opened herself up to me
I need to taste her pain
I require the sensation of her torment
For accomplishment
To achieve a feeling of success
See, I can only take it out on you
You are the only one I can unleash my feelings on
There's no-one else I can trust
I have no other confidants
There's no-one else but us around
Our relationship is isolated
You hide these things so well
You keep these secrets hidden skillfully
There's no finding
It is impossible to uncover them
And the pink runs into the blue
The colors mix without distinction
There are no edges
There are no boundaries or limitations
How do I know where you are tonight?
I am unsure of your location
Need these paper cuts
I crave the feeling of small wounds
Need those gravel grinds
I require the sense of rough texture
Need those pinches to wake me
I need pain to stimulate my senses
Give up the drugs
Abandon the need for artificial stimulation
Take the power I offer
Accept the control I am willing to provide
Oh the deeper I go
As I descend into my desires
The further I fall
My descent becomes more drastic
The more I know
I gain a greater understanding
The tighter your grip around me
You hold on to me more firmly
So easily broken
Your fragility is apparent
Running down your skin
The evidence of your suffering is visible
And if there's ever anyone else, I'll understand
If you cheat on me, I will comprehend
And kill them
I will eliminate anyone who comes between us
And I'll overflow your every inlet
I will penetrate every part of you
You will not cough and spit
You will willingly accept me
You'll welcome me in
You will greet me happily
And I tell you with my tongue between your toes
As I perform a sexual act on you
If there's ever anyone else
If you ever betray me
Don't let them do this
Do not let them do what we do together
And I'll laugh and revel
I will take pleasure in my control over you
As you scratch and crawl
As you struggle and resist
Just show them the ugly mess
Reveal our dark secrets to them
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALASDAIR MACAULAY, DAVID BOULTER, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, NEIL TIMOTHY FRASER, STUART ASHTON STAPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind