As they approach their third decade as a band, Tindersticks recognise the need to change things up. While the structure and the formula of the Nottingham band’s slow-burning, purposeful indie-rock remains intact, their 12th album aimed to capture the potency of their live show.
Written mostly on the Greek island of Ithaca and with frontman Stuart Staples now residing in France, there is an audible newfound sense of perspective in his writing.
Yes, many of these songs deal with his enduring themes of both how beautiful and terrible life can be, which is ably captured on For the Beauty’s melancholic piano riff, the murmuring burble of Take Care in Your Dreams and the swoonsome 1960s orchestration of Pinky in the Daylight.
Yet elsewhere, The Amputees juxtaposes the aching sadness of lyrics like “Miss you so bad” with a celebratory, quirky waltz. The Old Man’s Gait is a touching snapshot of a poignant moment, while See My Girls is a standout, a tribal incantation that grows more agitated and menacing with every uttered line.
Staples claimed that the band wanted to "make something meaningful" with this album; mission accomplished. Tindersticks.co.uk
Download: The Amputees, See My Girls
