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.
Yesterdays Tomorrows
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They shuffled through our doorways.
Are they here?
Ah, those days, those days they follow us home
and peer through our windows.
And they're here?
they're here.
Ah, those nights, those nights they tiptoed by,
they crackle under our pillows
and they're here.
Then our yesterdays tomorrows,
then our yesterdays tomorrows,
then our yesterdays tomorrows,
they're here.
And still we try
to reach for what has gone behind,
but they're here.
The sun arrived, beat down until that life ran dry
and every moment burned with that fire
but they're here.
Then our yesterdays tomorrows,
then our yesterdays tomorrows,
then our yesterdays tomorrows,
they're here.
For all our hoping,
all our wondering,
they're here.
In Tindersticks' song "Yesterdays Tomorrows," the band explores the fleeting nature of time, memory, and nostalgia. The song starts with the repetition of the phrase "Ah, those days, those days where did they go?" as if searching for a lost time that is gone forever. The lines "They shuffled through our doorways, are they here?" and "They follow us home and peer through our windows" suggest a longing for the past, as if the memories and experiences of the past are all around us, just out of reach. The chorus repeats the phrase "Then our yesterdays tomorrows, they're here," emphasizing that the past is always present in some way, whether it's in our memories, dreams, or regrets.
The verses and chorus of the song are filled with melancholy and resignation, but there is still a sense of hope that permeates throughout the lyrics. The line "For all our hoping, they're here" suggests that even though we can never go back to the past and relive those moments, they are still alive in some form within us. The final lines "For all our hoping, all our wondering, they're here" drive home the idea that while we may never fully understand the passing of time and the way that memories shape our lives, we can still hold onto hope and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, those days, those days where did they go?
Reflecting on a time in the past and wondering where it went.
They shuffled through our doorways.
Memories of those times come into our lives unplanned and unexpected.
Are they here?
Questioning whether those memories are still present in our lives.
Ah, those days, those days they follow us home
Those memories continue to haunt us even when we leave the physical location they are associated with.
and peer through our windows.
Memories are not just a past experience but they impact our present and future.
And they're here?
Continuing to question the presence and impact of those memories in our lives.
For all our hoping
Despite our desire to let go, those memories persist.
they're here.
Acknowledging that those memories are still present and impacting our lives.
Ah, those nights, those nights they tiptoed by,
Reflecting on specific moments in time, highlighting fleetingness and transience.
they crackle under our pillows
Memories impact our thoughts and dreams when we have no control over them.
and they're here.
Reinforcing the connection between the past and present.
Then our yesterdays tomorrows,
Alluding to the intermingling of past and future events.
they're here.
Continuing to acknowledge the presence and impact of past experiences.
And still we try
Despite the difficulty of letting go, we continue to attempt it.
to reach for what has gone behind,
Attempting to recapture the feeling of those moments in time that have passed.
but they're here.
Acknowledging that the memories and feelings associated with those moments continue to exist.
The sun arrived, beat down until that life ran dry
An experience that was intense, passionate and eventually exhausted.
and every moment burned with that fire
Emphasizing the intensity of the experience, that it was more than just fleeting moment in time.
but they're here.
Despite the experience now being in the past, the memories and feelings attached to it still have an impact on the present.
For all our hoping,
Despite our desire to move on from those emotions and memories.
all our wondering,
Despite attempts to intellectualize our emotions and memories.
they're here.
It's impossible to disconnect from those experiences and their impact.
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.