Curtains

While the best of Tindersticks' orchestral flourishes were reached in their 2nd studio album, it wasn't until Curtains that they also matched those with their grandiose theatrical ambitions. And its no surprise either, since their haunting soundtrack for one of the films of french director Claire Denis, released a year previous to Curtains, indicated the band's taste for literal, almost visual storytelling. As it so happens, the songs in Curtains are set as intertwining highs and lows in terms of mood, as if the songs in between the most melodramatic pieces served as "entrees" to the main pieces. For example,"Dick's Slow Song", "Dancing" and "Desperate Man", which are downtempo, whispery songs, are followed (almost immediately) by "Ballad of Tindersticks", "Let's Pretend" and "Buried Bones" (respectively), which are string drenched, grandiose tell tales of social and romantic misery.The beauty of Curtains is also how the band pulls out an ambitious album with perfectionist instrumentation, and yet manage to sound as accessible as they never were before. It is granted that Tindersticks works are usually obtuse and painfully difficult to grasp at the first few listens, however, Curtains gets closer to overcome this distinction better than their previous studio efforts. This can be attributed to the increasingly improving arrangements by Dikon, who is able to bathe Curtains' songs into multi-layered arrangements of hook-ridden strings. Also, the band incorporates much better textures into their instrumental output, making their best use so far of varied percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel and vibraphone, among others) and organs (multiple tracks of hammond, reed and other organs can be heard within the same songs), not to mention processed guitars and electric violins. All of these elements and more make Curtains a pivotal Tindersticks release, one that deepens the profound vision of one of the most ambitious alternative bands of all time.

In my opinion, Curtains stands tall as the overall best CD issued by Tindersticks to date. In my review of that CD, I gave it a high recommendation. However, if you don't mind spending a few dollars more, then I recommend that you get this re-mastered edition instead as the bonus CD is certainly worth the extra money. Not only that, the remastering has vastly improved the sound quality of the original.The highlights on Disc 1 are Another Night In, Rented Rooms, Don't Look Down, Let's Pretend, Buried Bones, (Tonight) Are You Trying To Fall In Love Again?, and Bathtime. Stuart Staples is at his apex as a singer on Curtains and the lyrics reflect the dark, brooding and cynical worldview fans have come to expect of Tindersticks.Disc 2's best features are a gritty rendition of Bathtime, a Lee Hazlewood-esqe tale of forbidden love in Shadow, a pair of excellent instrumentals with Paco's Theme and Mannlow, two excellent alternative versions of the jaded Rented Rooms (one of which really swings), Make Believe, the sexy duet A Marriage Made In Heaven, and the regretful For Those...In short, the entire disc is worthwhile.If you are a serious Tindersticks fan, but on a tight budget, then you might want to buy this through one of amazon's partners. I got mine that way at roughly half the list price and was entirely pleased with the speed with which my order was filled. The remastered edition of Curtains finds Tindersticks at the pinnacle of perfection, so don't miss out on this!

In the last couple of years, I have acquired and imbibed nearly everything that Tindersticks has recorded. I really enjoyed the first two, each of which had many strong points and only a few weak ones, and then I heard Curtains. Man, what a CD!On Curtains, Tindersticks continues to mine a cynical, world-weary vein and in doing so, has really struck paydirt. The writing is tremendous as is Stuart Staples' delivery. My favorites are Another Night In, the jaded Rented Rooms, the dramatic Don't Look Down, the beautifully orchestrated Let's Pretend with its shades of Calexico and Arthur Lee, the romantic duet Buried Bones, the soulful (Tonight) Are You Trying to Fall in Love Again?, the deep-groove dance number Bathtime, and the sexy duet A Marriage Made In Heaven.This CD has become a personal favorite. If radio programmers had any sense of musical adventure, there are a wealth of gems on Curtains that would be perfect fodder for an edgy AOR playlist.If you enjoy an intense, mature sound and lyrics that go far beyond the usual without being irrelevant or nonsensical, then Curtains just may be for you. I highly recommend it!

Profound and invigorating.At first counterintuitive.At last deep as deep roots go.Listen to it in the background!After ten years of living with itIt still manages to deepen it's horizons.A masterpiece that will inflame your soul as no other...High-flames: Another Night In Rented Rooms Let's Pretend Buried Bones (Tonight) Are you trying to fall in love again Bathtime A Marriage Made In Heaven

The Anais Nin of music.

It is the best album of Tindersticks.It reminds me a great time I had when I was listening to it for the first time many years ago.I recommend it to everyone who likes gentle, reflective and extraordinary music.

...but a big thing it is! I've been listening to this album for almost three months now, in a car, an iPod, stereo, computer.. been singing to myself a little to. And you know the good thing? I keep discovering new songs within the album that I keep liking better than the others; only to realize that I like them as a whole, as one big piece of an album. Stuart's rich voice, the wonderful lyrics and the equally great playing make this album a real gem. From "Rented Room" with its slow urgency, to "Buried Bones" with its pop-ish cuteness, to "(Tonight) Are you trying to fall in love again" with its playful sadness.. this is an album to own and listen to. Repeatedly.Still. My favorite? "Ballad of Tindersticks". Bar none.

The disc with extra tracks was a real find. Includes half a dozen great tracks. A real bonus. A Marriage Made in Heaven and For Those an absolute treat.

Tindersticks take your mind to surreal, places. Soothing voice that promote calmness as you meld into the music

Music for a certain mood, which I'm not into all the time. Still, the varying tempos on this album and general atmosphere make this one of the better 'slow blow' albums for me.The CD got delivered in a wrong jewel case by mistake and because of this the cover/booklet was a bit scuffed. Nothing too bad and the CD played fine. The seller solved this nicely, thanks for that!

Once again a speedy delivery by Musicmagpie, CD as described, will always buy if they have the disc I want.

Wonderful atmospheric album