A one-bedroom flat in Paris, 14th arrondisement. A man enters the apartment, sheds his skin, and looks at his face in the toaster. "Did we create toast in order to use this toaster or did toast create this toaster or did toast create God?" he asks. "No matter." He hovers over a bleached vulture's carcass and checks on the never-ending checkers game sitting atop an apple; rat droppings (black) are beating albino rat droppings (white) by a considerable margin. He sighs and looks solemnly at the paint-by-numbers portrait of a frowning widow that lies on the ground, doubling as a shoe tree. His vision moves 47 cm to the right and he sees his lover splayed out, holding a half-drained bottle of sleeping pills in her left tentacle. A stream of blood flows curiously from her mouth. She smiles then breaks into a loud laugh. "Les Sticks de Tinder are playing some shows in March and I cannot keep this silly smile off my face," she squeals. "Cut!” screams the director. "It is not 'Les Sticks de Tinder' it is 'Tindersticks!' And we simply cannot advance with this, this...this smiling!"
Bah, even the lamest turd of a screenplay deserves a soundtrack, but I doubt moody scene makers Tindersticks would want to save this garbage. However, if anyone could transform the above into box office gold, they surely could. Cinematically speaking, the reborn Tindersticks do it better than most. In the past they have contributed the soundtracks to two Claire Denis films, Nénette et Boni and Trouble Every Day. In the present they have contributed the soundtracks to two Claire Denis films, 35 Rhums and White Material, both of which may be released widely this year. We are keeping our fingers crossed that both the films and their accompanying soundtrack albums do. Until it is possible to pick up either of these sure-fire hits, you may get the rare chance to see the band play live. Being the continental types that they are, Tindersticks are now playing some shows in Europe but will set sail for America at the beginning of March to play, sadly, only nine metropolitan areas. The core trio of David Boulter, Neil Fraser, and Stuart A. Staples will be assisted by Terry Edwards (brass), Dan McKinna (bass), Andrew Nice (cello), and probably Thomas Belhom (drums), who is missing the European shows due to illness. Tindesticks latest album is The Hungry Saw, which was released in September by Constellation.
Tout sweet!
02.13.09 - Lisbon, Portugal - Coliseum
02.14.09 - Porto, Portugal - Casa da Musica
02.16.09 - Malaga, Spain - Teatro Cervantes
02.18.09 - Istanbul, Turkey - CRR Concert Hall
02.20.09 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal Club
02.21.09 - Athens, Greece - Badminton
03.04.09 - Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
03.05.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03.06.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Masonic Temple
03.07.09 - Boston, MA - SomervilleTheatre
03.09.09 - Montréal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
03.10.09 - Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
03.12.09 - Chicago, IL - Epiphany Episcopal Church
03.13.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
03.15.09 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
