Tindersticks - “Curtains” (1997)
I first got into Tindersticks via their best-of compilation Working for the Man, and I immediately fell in love with their music; it was a great introduction. However, those catchy singles and songs did not prepare me for this monster of an album. It’s comprised of 15 songs, it’s seventy plus minutes long, and even though it’s as heavy as a brick to listen to in one sitting, it’s a very rewarding experience. From the opening torturous love song ‘Another Night In’, through weird noise-infected tracks such as ‘Fast One’, to even weirder slow jazzy recited songs like ‘Ballad of Tindersticks’, and the beautiful, almost corny ballad ‘Buried Bones’, this album has it all, and it doesn’t let you go until the last second.
It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite track, but I guess I would lean toward the aforementioned ‘Buried Bones’. It is a duet with Ann Magnuson (from the excellent band Bongwater, of which I will be writing about here some day), and it’s such a beautiful little tune — devoid of chorus, just a lovely orchestral arrangement — with very funny and clever lyrics. At one point, Ann mentions that her singing partner, Tindersticks crooner Stuart Staples, is “an old old dog” who’s “been around the block” (and he cheekily replies ‘so many times’), but then at the end of the song, this beauty comes in:
Ann: “Yeah, I could love you, grab that leash and drag you to a place you’ve never known,”
Stuart: “I know where my bones are buried, may take me a while, but I’ll find my way home.”
It always brings a smile to my face.
I find this album works better at night, in a low-lit room. I always picture a 60s underground jazz club where the air is filled with cigarette smoke, even if the orchestra and Tijuana Brass-like section wouldn’t fit in this tiny room. Its sound is timeless, and out of time at the same time. You’ll cry, you’ll chuckle, you’ll close your eyes, slow dance, and probably think of that special someone in, or no longer in, your life. It’s an album with many moods, and you’ll want to delve into every single one of them.
If you dig this record, also check Tindersticks’ eponymous second album from 1995, which includes the song ‘A Night In’.
