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.
She
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's quiet now
Took her mother with her
Left town
Took her mother's eye
Stole her mother's heart
It's a compromise
We nurture that part and she's gone
Says she can walk now
Says she can walk now
Thinks she can walk
Seen her walking
She totters and falls
And when I'm not looking
Leans onto the wall
And she'll hold on to me only when she wants
And she'll fall and be up again
It's part of the fun
But she's gone
Thinks she can walk now
Thinks she can walk now
Thinks she can walk
She's gone
And it's quiet now
Took her mother with her
Left town
Took her mother's eye
Stole her mother's heart
It's a compromise
We nurture that part and she's gone
And it's quiet now
Took her mother with her
Left town
The song "She" by Tindersticks is a melancholic and understated track that explores the complex relationship between a mother and daughter. The lyrics describe the daughter's departure from their hometown, taking her mother's heart and eye with her as if sacrificial compensation. The mother is left behind to mourn the loss of her daughter and the pieces of her self that she took with her.
The song presents a metaphorical and literal interpretation of the daughter's departure. The references to walking in the lyrics suggest that she has not only left the town but also left behind her childhood dependency on her mother. The metaphorical interpretation could be that the daughter has grown up and moved on, and the mother is left to come to terms with the inevitable separation that comes with children becoming adults.
As the song progresses, the daughter's attempts to become independent are portrayed as a struggle. She totters and falls, leans on walls, and only holds on to her mother when she wants to. The mother's nurturing and reassurance is needed but only when the daughter allows it. The daughter is learning to stand on her own, and the mother is learning to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
She's gone
The woman being referred to is no longer present
And it's quiet now
The atmosphere is calm and peaceful without her
Took her mother with her
The woman took her mother along with her, likely due to a need for care or support
Left town
The woman moved away from her previous location
Took her mother's eye
The woman took her mother's ability to see, possibly indicating that her mother is blind or visually impaired
Stole her mother's heart
The woman took her mother's love and care with her
It's a compromise
The situation is not ideal, but both parties had to make sacrifices
We nurture that part and she's gone
The artist tried to help the woman and her mother, but they are now gone
Says she can walk now
The woman claims to be able to walk independently
Says she can walk now
The woman insists that she can walk on her own
Thinks she can walk
The woman believes she has the ability to walk without assistance
Seen her walking
The artist has observed the woman attempting to walk
She totters and falls
The woman is unsteady and frequently loses her balance
And when I'm not looking
The singer is not always present to observe the woman's behavior
Leans onto the wall
The woman uses the wall for support when she is walking
And she'll hold on to me only when she wants
The woman does not always want or need the artist's assistance
And she'll fall and be up again
The woman frequently falls, but is determined to keep trying
It's part of the fun
The woman seems to enjoy the challenge of walking despite her difficulties
But she's gone
The woman and her mother are no longer present
Thinks she can walk now
The woman continues to believe that she can walk independently
Thinks she can walk now
The woman is convinced that she can walk without assistance
Thinks she can walk
The woman has a strong belief in her ability to walk unaided
And it's quiet now
The absence of the woman and her mother has created a peaceful, lonely environment
Took her mother with her
The woman took her mother along when she left
Left town
The woman and her mother moved away from their previous location
Took her mother's eye
The woman brought her mother's visual impairment with her when she left
Stole her mother's heart
The woman took her mother's love and affection with her when she left
It's a compromise
Both the woman and her mother had to give up something in order to leave
We nurture that part and she's gone
The artist made an effort to assist the woman and her mother, but they are now absent
And it's quiet now
The woman's departure has left a void in the singer's life
Took her mother with her
The woman did not leave her mother behind
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: DAVID PEVERETT, RODERICK PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind