The Hungry Saw ***

Tinderticks
2008 - Beggar's Banquet Records
Recorded 2007 at Le Chien Chanceux, Eastcote and Olympic Studios
Produced by Stuart A. Staples
All Songs by Bug Music

Performers:
Thomas Belhorn - Drums and Percussion
David Boulter - Piano, Organ, percussion and guitar
Terry Edwards - Trumpet, Saxophones and Brass arrangements
Jeanne Fraser - Flute
Caroline Hall - Trombone
Sally Hibbert - Violin
Calina de la Mare - Violin and string arrangements (track 6)
Dan McKinna - Bass guitars and Singing
Andy Nice - Cello and solo cello
Suzannae Osborne - Singing
Louise Peacock - Violin
Julian Siegel - Bass clarinet
Stuart A. Staples - Singing, acoustic guitar and percussion
Lucy Wilkins - Lead violin and string arrangements (track 6,7,9, &13)
Sarah Wilson - Cello

CDs are difficult to write about. I tried once before and I was not able to keep up. First of all, I tried to write about every song and it was time consuming. Secondly, It is really difficult to describe music with words. So, I'll try to be less wordy (and consequently repetitive) when I describe the songs but I will at least try to "rate" each song. For those of you who care, you can go to I-Tunes or whatever and download, what I think are the best songs.

My plan is this. I want to listen to each new CD I buy casually at least 3 times to get a general impression of the CD. Then when I actually write about the CD I will listen to each song as I write it. I may have to change my initial rating which comes from my initial impressions, but I plan to do that before publishing the actual piece. Another thing to keep in mind is that, quite often, the parts don't add up to the whole. For instance, If I rate a CD four stars, that would mean that the large majority of the songs would have to be four stars, which would be very difficult to do. So I am also looking at cohesiveness and that certain je ne sais quoi. (I don't know).
The Hungry Saw seems to have no low spots. All the songs are at least good if not great. On the other hand, I haven't as of yet recognized any great or "masterpiece" songs. There are a handful of cuts that are typical "Tindersticks" songs and there are also some rockier songs, that seem a little more conventional relatively to other work of the band. The drums come in stronger and seem to follow a mostly 4/4 rhythm. I know that there has been some major personnel changes. The only people I recognize (I admit, I haven't paid too much attention to names in the past) are of course Stuart A. Staples and David Boulter. I don't recognize the drummer's name so I assume he is new, hence the rockier sound.

The Songs:

Intro ***1/2 - Usually intros are kind of throw away pieces, but I really like this. It starts off with a very simple and choppy piano and some background noise or static. Then some more piano comes in at a more regular rhythm and the two lines are playing at the same time. Then there is a little bass and other instruments chime in. A spatter of a little xylophone or other similar instrument. It is very beautiful and spooky.



Yesterday's Tomorrows **1/2 - This is kind of a rockier song. The guitar is choppy playing a single chord every half beat. Which is simple, but the texture of the song is complex. It is a complete wall of sound. Some other instruments I can hear are horns, maybe a flute. The drums are keeping time with a 4/4 beat. Not a stand out song, but well done. The ending kinds of builds into a repetitive trancy thing, but still being rocky at the same time. Sheesh - it's hard to write about this stuff. Lyrics are not entirely inspiring. Something to do with the passing of time and getting older.



The Flicker of a Little Girl *** - This has more of a "typical" Tindersticks sound. Not quite as rocky, with a nice strummy acoustic guitar, some horns of course and it sounds like some flute. It almost has a hippyish sixties sound. It's nice and melodic, but the hooks don't hit you over the head. I'm not so sure about those "woo hooo ooo" harmonies I hear, but I can live with it. The lyrics are a little hard to decipher, but the little girl seems to be the narrator's lost youth. "It's so easy to be beautiful when you are young", and it seems to be lost.

Come feel the Sun ***1/2- Starts out with some very beautiful piano and then Staples voice joins in. Then some beautiful violin. Portions of the violin are standout. The lyrics are requesting some one to "come out" and to not wallow in their misery from all the hurt but to "exact revenge". This is a typical Tindersticks song and belongs in the oeuvre of great songs. My only compliant is that it's 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Not long enough!



E-Type **- This does not start out slow, but it is noisier piece. I think I even hear a little distortion (or is my Ipod at the wrong levels?) There are some nice horns ( I think I hear a little saxophone too!) and a little bit of background singing. I want this go somewhere interesting, but except for the horns (which I am always a sucker for) it doesn't go anywhere I want.

The Other Side of the World *** - This song starts out calmly with a soft electric guitar, and then a drum rumble/ roll and the strings kick in. I would say a fairly typical song for this group. The song is mid paced, not too mellow, but not too rocking. The lyrics are again fairly oblique, but basically it's a love song. His woman is an island. And there is some sort of reference about escaping this island, though it's not clear if that is what he wants or if he has or not.

The Organist Entertains *** - The first audible instrument is of course the organ. It has a low rumble bass while the clef portion of the organ is lilting and European sounding, like at a bohemian night club. The strings come in to complement the organ.

The Hungry Saw **1/2 - This is the title track. It starts with an electric guitar and a shuffling drum track. It's interesting drumming, but the song is fairly conventional in that there are not many changes in tempo. There is more choral singing, and like the previous song, I'm not sure I like it that much, but I can live with it. The hungry saw is the tool of the devil, and the narrator of the songs blames it for his drug use and promiscuous behavior. The saw gets to you by way of your heart, perhaps implying that the heartbreak you have is caused by the Devil's hungry saw.

Mother Dear **1/2 - Some more organ starts out this song accompanied by a bass drum. It's one of those haunting organs that play long, sad notes. The song stays pretty mellow. but a discordant electric guitar slashes though the layer of sound every once in a while. Midway through the song the electric guitar becomes more prominent for a short solo.The last minute changes tempo a little and we get some strings. The lyrics are almost indecipherable. Something about love and cradles and protection, "...and reached out and pulled you near and would catch you from any fall". Though it's not clear if the mother is doing the protecting or needs the protecting. After all there is a "wolf that escaped from your dreams". The "you" in this case is the mother since this song is addressed to the mother.

Boobar Come Back to Me **1/2 - This starts with an acoustic guitar and some tambourine playing. The song is fairly consistent with not great changes of pace. It is a song that does builds. I can't really figure out who Boobar is. I have the feeling that it is his muse. He wants it to come back to him, and the lack of muse makes it painful, though he acknowledges that maybe the muse is feeling pain and that's why the muse won't come back. Perhaps it was that time that they "sold themselves out".

All the Love **** - An acoustic guitar and a triangle starts this song out pretty softly. When the vocals start, it's clear that this song fits into the Tinderstick's profile. Staples has his usual mumbly singing style. The background singer I like better than previous attempts. Most likely because it's a woman and it's very pretty. The lyrics are pretty much a statement of love - a love song. There is really no story here. It is very poetic. the metaphors are not cliche. A little cello is played about midway through the song. A beautiful song. One of the highlights of the CD.

The Turns We Took **** This starts with electric guitar and strings. Fairly conventional drumming/rhythm but I like how it starts. This is the last song and the song is about the long hard journey that has taken us to where we are now. Musically, the song starts to build a little (it didn't start out slow so there is not much room to build). Another highlight of the CD

While typing this up, I noticed some patterns. The first is that the lyrics are fairly oblique and difficult to understand. As far as I know, this is the only CD in which the band actually published the lyrics. On other CDs/albums, fans have notoriously played the game of "What did he say?" The lyrics are not stories so much as images and tend to be more poetic. I have never been to good at deciphering poetry. Perhaps I am too impatient. But I did kind of enjoy figuring out what they meant in the 2 or 3 minutes I had while listening to the song.

I also tended to start out describing each song with the instruments I heard at first. Obviously I would not be able to continue that through the whole song and that would be boring. I'm just trying to get a sense of what the music might sound like. Knowing what instruments are involved might help.

Last words: I really like this CD. But I like all of their CDs, so that's not a surprise. Will I change my initial rating? No - I think I will stick with my original rating. The ratings of the individual songs more or less average out to the rating i put at top. I know earlier I said that there were some immeasurable factors that go into deciding what is a great piece of art, and this CD has some of those factors, but those factors are not strong enough to raise the total rating of the piece.