It doesn't happen often that your favourite band make no new music for five years, you pretty much give up on them releasing an album ever again and then they return, sounding fresher and better than ever and make perhaps their most cohesive record to date and become your favourite band all over again.
That is what happened this year with me and Tindersticks. Without giving too much away about my 'Album of the Year' list, 'The Hungry Saw' completely floored me. It is a beautiful, creative album and its the sound of a band falling in love with making music again. Without Dickon Hinchcliffe's violin and string arrangements, missed though he is, the music is allowed to breathe more and David Boulter on keys and Neil Fraser on guitar make their most telling contributions to a Tindersticks album in a decade.
Seeing them play live this year has also been a joyful experience. I've seen them twice so far and will see them again in a couple of week's time. Mixing the whole of the new album with assorted oldies has worked perfectly and the band have never looked happier or more confident.
This live cd is a document of a gig in Glasgow in October. It follows much the same setlist as the gig I saw in Brighton a month earlier, so see that review for a more detailed description of the set. It sounds fantastic. Without a string section, the arrangements are more stripped down and on songs like 'Boobar' and 'The Other Side of The World' this works so well, the guitar really taking the lead. The middle section of the set is devoted to 'oldies' and actually showcases some of the band's overlooked gems from more recent albums, like the pocket symphony 'Say Goodbye To The City' and their most beautiful ballad to date 'Dying Slowly'.
When I saw Tindersticks play in Brighton, I was struck by how happy they looked, particularly Stuart Staples and what a contrast this was from their last few gigs in 2004. This shines through here again. Rather than just running through the songs, each gig at the moment has a creativity and a spontaneity right from the memorable opening with David Boulter playing 'Introduction' whilst the band walk on, one by one. Tindersticks always send an audience home with a slow number, and here they finish with a sparse, intimate version of 'The Not Knowing' from their first album. It is spellbinding.
No mark out of 10 here because I am rapidly losing objectivity when it comes to Tindersticks, but this is a perfect souvenir for anyone who has seen them play live this year.
['Live From Glasgow' is out now on beautifully packaged and designed cd. Onlyy available from shows on their current tour]
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