An (if not the) originator of the indie pop orchestra, Tindersticks opens its eighth album with a skulking R&B groove; the band’s warming up for something special. By the third track, “Harmony Around My Table,” you know this is something special. In that song, Stuart Staples sings a desperate father’s wish for his family’s happiness, though everyone’s hungry. The band swings urgently behind Staples, thanks in large part to a new drummer, Earl Harvin, who makes the difference on the chugging “Black Smoke,” another highlight, too. This is vintage stuff from the UK band.
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2010.