So begins the first song on
Tindersticks'
haunting soundtrack to Trouble Every Day, the latest
film by French art house director, Claire Denis. The line is a
perfect jumping off point because it not only offers a glimpse
into to the edgy subject matter of Denis' film, whose heroine
is a troubled, promiscuous and beautiful young cannibal living
in Paris, but also an introduction to the unique brand of
melancholia that Tindersticks continues to refine on this
album.
Longtime fans will already know that the soundtrack for
Trouble Every Day marks the second collaboration
between Tindersticks and Claire Denis. In 1996, the band
created the original score for Denis' film, Nenette et
Boni, another much acclaimed though controversial project.
While that soundtrack may have introduced uninitiated
moviegoers to Tindersticks' shadowy charms, this latest effort
represents a more confident step forward and suggests that the
director has found the perfect cohorts to share her dark and
provocative vision.
Of course, the musical progress on this album is typically
subtle. Unlike the blue-eyed soul experiment of last years'
album, Can Our Love, and its best track, the
astonishing "People Keep Coming Around", Trouble Every
Day does not contain any real musical surprises. Instead,
Tindersticks are once again content to tweak their signature
blend of measured piano/string arrangements by fleshing them
out with an eclectic assortment of harp, bongos, and menacing
brass. As always, the whole mixture is topped off by the
band's true calling card, the tortured baritone of singer
Stuart Staples, which drips over everything like melting
caramel. Tindersticks aficionados will be comforted to know
that, soundtrack or not, this is another expertly rendered
Tindersticks album through and through. If the band's artistic
growth can sometimes be measured in terms of plate tectonics
perhaps it is only because their style came out of the womb so
fully formed that there is no glaring need for improvement.
Without changing a note, Tindersticks' trademark sound is so
addictive that even the most level headed newcomers are often
compelled to run out and purchase every Tinderstick album
within hours of their first exposure.
Unfortunately for newcomers, though,
Trouble Every
Day is not the best place to start their addiction. Eleven
of the 14 tracks are instrumental pieces and Staples' mournful
voice is noticeably absent for large portions of the
proceedings. That aside, the three songs that feature Staples
are obvious highlights and worthy additions to the
Tindersticks canon. Staples is clearly present for the
brooding lead track, "Opening Titles", which combines his
soulful lament with a musical theme that continues to weave
its way through the album in numerous different guises. After
that short prologue though Staples disappears into the gloomy
background for nearly 40 minutes before he is heard from
again. Predictably, his return for "Closing Titles" is the
dramatic climax of the album and his duet with co-vocalist,
Dikon Hinchliffe, builds to a dizzying peak. The album ends
almost as an afterthought with the brooding title track,
"Trouble Every Day", a longer variation of the Opening/Closing
Titles numbers. This long version of "Trouble Every Day" is
one of the best performances of Tindersticks' career and is
sure to take its place as a favorite among the band's cult
following.
On those tracks that do not feature Staples, the classic
Tindersticks elements are woven into a series of short, sparse
and shadowy soundscapes that seem informed by the mystical
minimalism of composers such as Henryk Gorecki or John Tavener
in their use of slow, repetitive piano figures tolling beneath
simple violin borne melodies. The basic formula is sometimes
augmented with a muted trumpet or trombone that evoke the
image of a sinister lounge band playing on a rain swept night.
Again, many of the pieces are based around reoccurring melodic
themes. The hopeful theme that defines "Dreams" reappears in
"Notre Dame" and reaches its crescendo in "Core on Stairs/Love
Theme". Listening to how the compositions recycle these themes
into new and different variations and moods throughout the
album makes for an entertaining side game of hide-and-seek.
Although mostly short, the instrumental pieces have a
cumulative force when heard together that creates a dark,
agitated and disturbing mood. However, only a few of the
instrumental pieces have the same power standing alone. The
best of these pieces, "Killing Theme", begins with a single
cello carrying the melody before being joined by foreboding
strings, trumpet, and piano. The combination provides the
albums' most quietly chilling moments and the piece is so
devilishly good that the album contains a second alternative
version as a bonus track.
As soundtracks go, Trouble Every Day is a definite
cut above the typical Hollywood mush. Tindersticks create an
elegant and unsettling collection of small mood pieces that
stand miles apart from anything else you are likely to hear at
the local multiplex. The visual and cinematic qualities always
inherent in Tindersticks music also allow this music to be
enjoyed as a listening experience apart from the images and
narrative of Denis' film. While neophytes may be better off
starting their Tindersticks experience with the band's classic
self-titled second album, Trouble Every Day quietly
ranks with the best of the band's previous work and supplies a
much needed fix for those who have already succumbed to
Tindersticks' sad and addictive beauty.
From
www.popmatters.com
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