Tindersticks: Across Six Leap Years

They are undoubtedly a Marmite band, but if you're in the right frame of mind (reasonably melancholy and not particularly in need of cheering up), there is something about Tindersticks' music that strikes the right chord. Across Six Leap Years is a celebratory collection: 10 new versions of songs ("lost along the way," explains the press release) culled from various band albums and lead vocalist Stuart Staples's solo work. Those familiar with Tindersticks' often velvet-tender way with a tune will find few surprises here, but even this long-term fan got some pleasure out of hearing their revised cover of Odyssey's 1980 pop/disco ballad, If You're Looking for a Way Out. Not so much selected highlights, then, as a measure of how much Tindersticks can reinvent (and reinvest) their own history. tindersticks.co.uk
Download: Marseilles Sunshine, Sleepy Song, If You're Looking for a Way Out