Tindersticks' 8th studio album, "Falling Down A Mountain" will be released in Europe on 25 January (on 4AD www.4ad.com/tindersticks) with a North American release following 16 February (on Constellation www.cstrecords.com/releases/cst065 / www.cstrecords.com/bands/tindersticks).
Tindersticks on the making of Falling Down A Mountain:
Our last album, The Hungry Saw, was our first in five years. We didn’t really know what to expect on its release; we had just six concerts booked, and everyone was a little nervous…
That was April 2008. The success of those concerts, including the Royal Festival Hall in London and the Folies Bergere in Paris, took us all by surprise and led to seventy more shows in Europe and the US - ending with a beautiful summer’s evening headlining The Serpentine Sessions in Hyde Park in July of 2010.
In our ‘downtime’, we have scored 2 film soundtracks for Claire Denis: the much loved and critically acclaimed 35 Shots Of Rum and, due for release in the new year, White Material, which stars Isabelle Huppert. Somewhere during that time, we were also commissioned to create the music for the Louis Vuitton summer collection in Paris.
From those nervous beginnings a new unity and sense of direction grew. Where once our touring days were spent hanging around, killing time, now we found ourselves cobbling together acoustic rehearsals for new ideas in dressing rooms and venue corridors. There was a growing need to explore and we quickly started working in the studio.
Very soon this work became Falling Down A Mountain, our eighth studio album. Recorded at the band’s own Le Chien Chanceux studio in rural France and at ICP in Brussels between May and July 2009 and mixed at Le Chien’ in September and October.
With hindsight, The Hungry Saw now seems like an album made within the confines of what we knew; in making Falling Down A Mountain those boundaries became irrelevant.
The title track was borne out of a collection of moments; a dreamed idea recorded into a mobile phone in the night evolving into a spontaneous recording with the band, Terry Edwards’ trumpet (we didn’t play him the song, just gave him some clues, ran the tape and he played into the silence), singing with David Kitt and his great overdubbed guitar… All, more or less, made in one or two takes. Sometimes you just get lucky.
From the dream of building Le Chien’ three years ago, this is the first recording that gets close to what we have been looking for and gives all the effort some meaning.
The album ran on from there in many different directions, but always with a shared feeling between all the musicians and a sense of discovery towards the ideas. Highlights were many and varied: singing a duet with Mary Margaret O’Hara; new additions to the group in the shape of Earl Harvin (drums and vocals) and David Kitt (guitar and vocals) brought with them new colours to the music, and their voices combining with bassist Dan McKinna’s realised a long dreamt of “vocal section” within the band. In addition, Jo Fraser and Andy Nice, who have played a big part in our soundtrack work, provided some great flute and cello moments.
How about a pre new album gig at Les Folies Bergeres for instance? what a great moment it was, the joy of being there, esp. at the end of Boobar, when you got a much deserved standing ovation ;-)
hi guys, i've been a fan for some years now. so glad to hear you're releasing a new album. please come have a listen to my own band's music if you can. all the best, erica. LEDASWAN-
Hey! Makac's new release or 6 freaky spells of Dark Jazz'n'Groove freely inspired from Russ Meyer, Lalo Schiffrin, Charles Manson, Alice in Wonderland or the Twilight Zone… You can download that strange fruit through the link below…
comment after 5 ipa's: I waited for you to come to the states for three years, then missed your montreal show due to death, like a body stuffed in a trunk, like a Prince show gone bad, or your favourite tuna melt not meeting whatnot. The US loves you. Welcome. Again.
wonderful! new music from you... the only thing that let's me suffer is that i have to wait nearly the whole winter. the good thing is, that i can look forward for so long ;-) and while doing it i'll listen your old records.
