Tindersticks The Hungry Saw by: Liam Tracey Wed:18-Jun-08 Label: Beggars Banquet Year: 2008 WB rating 70 out of 100

Tindersticks proclaimed that they had reached a road block in their musical endeavours following their 2006 performance in a Don’t Look Back show. Was the performance of the band’s iconic second album, Tindersticks 2, self-recognition that an ending was imminent? Indeed that particular album may never be matched by the Nottingham-formed trio, but their new release, The Hungry Saw, has certainly taken a stab at moving past this former pinnacle. The beloved dark pop of Tindersticks lives on through this record and proves that the band do not only belong in the fond memories of the past, but can battle good and proper in the present.

The now trio of Tindersticks have undergone various changes throughout their extended existence, including members coming and going, each album presenting a new angle on their defined sound. The Hungry Saw is the first album from Tindersticks in over five years and the line up has reverted back to the original trio of vocalist Stuart Staples, guitarist Neil Fraser and keyboard player David Boulter. Along the way the band has lost Dickon Hinchliffe, the multi-instrumentalist responsible for much of the beautiful orchestration on Tindersticks 1 and 2, among other albums. The orchestration still lives on here though, with the trio employing various outsiders to provide an array of strings and brass that make tracks like ‘The Other Side of the World’ sound like eerie musical extravaganzas.

The snappy nature of tracks on the Simple Pleasures album is nowhere to be heard here, with extended breaks forming a much more orchestral, epic sound overall. The soulful sounds of Can Our Love are replaced with darker undertones, with the female vocal effects of ‘E-Type’ providing the only reminders of that album. The last release from Tindersticks as a collective, Waiting For The Moon, is put to shame by the fullness of sounds that are presented, far ahead of the stripped-down nature of that sixth album. Because of these factors, The Hungry Saw is a return to the classic form that made their earliest work worthy of a prestigious Don’t Look Back concert.

Staples’ voice is as haunting as ever on this album, if not more. The Nick Cave/Elvis Presley hybrid of vocal techniques and sounds are well distributed throughout the entirety, with various backing vocals and effects shifting the focus here and there. Aiding Staples in his dark rein over the album are the gorgeous string arrangements that creep in on many of the numbers. ‘Come Feel The Sun’ is one such track that uses violin to evoke a certain sadness, while the musical aside of ‘The Organist Entertains’ generates similar emotions without any lyrical accompaniment. Boulter shows equal skill in the style on ‘Yesterdays Tomorrows’, proving his command over his keyboard. ‘The Flicker of a Little Girl’ is a rare musically bright moment, though even here Tindersticks manage to entwine a sickly dark tinge.

The hiatus of Tindersticks has clearly been for the best considering the quality of The Hungry Saw. There is enough power, emotion and musical advancement here to place this seventh studio album alongside the nostalgia of Tindersticks 2 and considering the band are operating again as only a trio with the bare essential instruments at their direct command, they’ve produced a real wonder.