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The Hungry Saw
Rating: 5.4 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
Tindersticks fans might be surprised to see a new album. It’s been five years since the last one, and, in that time, Stuart Staples (the band’s baritoned front man) released two sumptuous solo records. The second even seemed to signal the end of this British sextet: it was titled Leaving Songs and featured tunes such as “Goodbye to Old Friends.” The omens didn’t look good. But they’re back, not wholly intact, but at least insistent on trying to re-capture their moody, film-noir-mix of country-tinged soul, lounge jazz, and lush orchestration. The rhythm section has been replaced with new players and Dickon Hinchcliffe, the band’s violinist (who provided strings and much of their romanticism) is notably absent. What’s left is an album that builds on the latter-era Tindersticks oeuvre, exchanging their earlier, more baroque offerings for mature balladry. Of course, horns and strings still flit in and out, but The Hungry Saw lacks the sweeping grandiosity of old. Funnily enough, for a band known for their singer’s deep timbre, the better songs are the three instrumental tunes: the delicate piano-led “Intro,” the punchy, horn accentuated “E-Type,” and the cinematic “The Organist Entertainer.” Best of all, though, is “Mother Dear,” which begins as a slow ballad before giving way to stuttering guitars that sound like Ian Curtis dancing. On “All the Love,” a delicate, finger-picked ballad, Staples states: “Like the tide, I’ll always return to you.” While not quite the return fans were perhaps hoping for, The Hungry Saw is a solid base for the band to (re)build upon. (Beggars Banquet)
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