Waiting for the Moon

by

Tindersticks

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They just get better with age. Been a fan of Tindersticks since their essential first album. This one will not come as a surprise to any long time fans but a great introduction for any new listeners.

At first I was wondering what was going on when the opening track didn't have Stuart Staples doing the vocals, but I find the secondary choice of singer pleasing but nowhere as good as the trademark clipped vocal croon that instantly identifies this fine band.

This album just gets better and better. 'My Oblivion' is a classic that ranks up there with the likes of 'City Sickness' and the brilliant second album. 'Say Goodbye to the city' and the almost familiar Staples duet with a chanteuse are other stand out cuts. Finally 'Just a Dog' with the wonderful line 'but at night I howl' and the way the entire musical arrangement bounces along until it starts to come apart at the seams. Brilliant stuff. Tindersticks remain one of the finest bands working today.

If you love Tindersticks you will forgive this record; if you don't know them, it is a harmless, lightweight introduction to their majesty. Sorry to be the dissenting voice here, folks, but I think this album pales in comparison to "Curtains" and "Simple Pleasures." It isn't very complex and overall has a thinner sound to it -- and it is sorely hurt by Dickon's lackluster, conventional voice taking over so many vocals from Stuart's aching croon. I won't say it's Tindersticks-by-the-numbers because it's pleasant enough and has some wonderful stuff on it ("My Oblivion" is out-of-this-world fantastic in the grand, lush ballad tradition that would make Scott Walker proud ), and it's still better than "Can Our Love," but let's not overrate it, okay?