Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 25 / 3 / 2010

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Review

‘Falling Down a Mountain’ is Tindersticks’ eighth album and follows on from their 2008 album, ‘The Hungry Saw’, which was to be honest something of a letdown. Only three original members-vocalist and guitarist Stuart Staples, lead guitarist Neil Fraser and keyboardist and percussionist David Boulter- remain, but on this they have moved on, re-thought The Tindersticks blueprint, changing a bit but retaining a lot of their early magic, and have produced an album that is in my eyes as good as their first two magical albums. ‘Tindersticks’ (1993) and ‘The Second Tindersticks Album’ (1995). It kicks off with the title track, which has a very long intro and which sounds very cinematic so there is real no change there, but this time it has an added more unusual flavour of jazz and it is not until the familiar sounds of Stu's vocal joins in around the two minute mark that you actually know it is really Tindersticks that you are listening too. This is a very dark, moody and very moving number, which is nothing less than I expect from this band. ‘Keep You Beautiful‘ is slow-core, very romantic and very dreamy, a song for late night kissing around hot romantic fires. ‘Harmony Around My Table’ is much more upbeat, a joyful and happy number about growing with your family around you. It also includes some 50’s doo wops for added appeal. The oddly-titled ‘Peanuts’ begins with a female vocal. It is very slow-core and heartwarming track and, Tindersticks at their best, is as classy as a Lee and Nancy number.‘She Rode Me Down’ is also reminiscent of Lee Hazlewood and featuring acoustic guitar and added handclaps has a beautiful 1960s feel. ‘Hubbards Hill’, is very pretty, an interlude instrumental, while ‘Black Smoke’, is perky and upbeat, with a soulful 70’s groove, which had me even rocking my knee to it, and is surprisingly danceable for Tindersticks. ‘No Place So Alone’ is a joyous romp with fine grooves. ‘Factory Girls’ sounds like a rewrite of an earlier number until it speeds up and gets much faster. ‘Piano Music’ is a perfect ending to a fine album from a band that I have respected since they came out in 1992.

Track Listing:-

1 Falling Down a Mountain
2 Keep You Beautiful
3 Harmony Around My Table
4 Peanuts
5 She Rode Me Down
6 Hubbards Hill
7 Black Smoke
8 No Place So Alone
9 Factory Girls
10 Piano Music

Band Links:-

http://www.tindersticks.co.uk/splash/
https://www.facebook.com/tinderstickso
https://twitter.com/tindersticksuk
https://www.instagram.com/tindersticks
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGYo

Label Links:-

http://www.4ad.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fourad/
https://twitter.com/4AD_Official
https://plus.google.com/explore/4AD