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's Gone
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 opening verse of Tindersticks’ “She’s Gone” describes a scene of desolation and silence that follows the departure of an important person. The use of the past tense carries the implication that the singer already knows the person is gone and there is little chance of bringing her back. The subsequent lines develop the story, revealing that the departed person is a young girl who left town and took her mother with her. The girl’s actions are puzzling and melancholic because of the collateral damage it causes to her mother, symbolized by the phrases “took her mother’s eye” and “stole her mother’s heart.” However, the song hints at something more complex and ambiguous since the last two lines of the verse proclaim that “it’s a compromise/We nurture that part and she’s gone.” This suggests that the mother and others around her may have enabled and facilitated the girl’s departure.
The second and third verses revolve around the girl’s newfound ability to walk, which seems to be a pivotal aspect of her leaving. However, the lines “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” suggest a sadomasochistic dynamic that explains the girl’s departure as an act of rebellion against her own limitations and dependency. By insisting on walking, she asserts her independence but does so in a haphazard and vulnerable way that relies on manipulating others, causing concern and even injury.
In conclusion, “She’s Gone” is a multidimensional song that explores themes of loss, rebellion, manipulation, and dependency. Its lyrics paint a vivid image of a young, troubled girl whose departure has profound and ambiguous consequences for those she left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
She's gone
She has left, and is no longer here.
And it's quiet now
Without her, there is now silence and stillness.
Took her mother with her
When she left, she took her mother along as well.
Left town
She departed from the place where she used to reside.
Took her mother's eye
She took something valuable and important from her mother.
Stole her mother's heart
She has deeply affected her mother emotionally and caused her pain.
It's a compromise
This is a difficult and uneasy situation for everyone involved.
We nurture that part and she's gone
Despite our attempts to support her, she has still decided to leave.
Says she can walk now
She claims to be able to move independently on her own two feet now.
Thinks she can walk
She believes she can walk, although this may not be entirely true yet.
Seen her walking
We have observed her trying to walk.
She totters and falls
She struggles to maintain balance and often ends up on the ground.
And when I'm not looking
When I'm not paying attention or observing her,
Leans onto the wall
She uses the wall to support herself as she tries to walk.
And she'll hold on to me only when she wants
She will only seek my help when she feels she needs it.
And she'll fall and be up again
She experiences setbacks but is willing to keep trying.
It's part of the fun
The process of trying and failing is enjoyable for her, even if it is frustrating.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVID PEVERETT, RODERICK PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kraft Werk
Remember listening to this gem like 25 years ago and realising how good this band is.
cartílago
Esplendido, como todo el álbum.
Howard
This song makes me feel the time slipping through my fingers with my children.
Laurent Carty
This song reminds me of my wife, deeply...
Mojo Filter
Dope slo-mo..
Ismail OZAY
pure and perfect with dickon again!
Winslow Leach
Superbe
Patricia Delicia
Gotta tell L I love her and if I can do anything
Patricia Delicia
And struggling. Born in April a year apart. Girl won't stop crying when her mum is gone. Back to work. Tell me about it
Frank Brenner
I am surprised Tarantino hasn't used them yet.