Tindersticks

★★★★ Past Imperfect: The Best Of Tindersticks ’92-21

CITY SLANG. CD/DL/LP

Imperfect perhaps but exceptional, nonetheless. Tindersticks are most closely associated with bruised balladry redolent of Nick Cave and orchestrated existential musings, delivered in Stewart Staples’ characteristic chewy, nasal tones. Their 1993 single City Sickness exemplifies this approach, but Past

Imperfect… encompasses a wide range of styles, including the lengthy, disquieting recitation My Sister. Standard rock instrumentation is augmented by strings, brass, vibes, even bowed saw, but it’s all deftly arranged and never cluttered. The songs tap deep wells of emotion. On Can We Start Again?, Staples sings a touching duet with Gina Foster over a Motown-style rhythm with handclaps and on the sombre Travelling Light, he is running away from his love, riddled with guilt, with Carla Torgerson’s gentle chiding adding to the heart-breaking drama. Disappointingly, there’s nothing from 2021’s Distractions with its austere loops and electronics, but we get a new, lean piano ballad, Both Sides Of The Blade.