Trashcan Sinatras aim high

Scottish pop veterans deliver best work yet in Weightlifting

Back in the early 80s, such Scottish bands as
Orange Juice, Aztec Camera and Jozef K made
a mark by delivering sensitive pop that was
both highly melodic and often melancholy. In
this current decade, many Scottish bands have
again become fashionable, but the likes of
Mogwai and Franz Ferdinand have a much
louder and edgier sound.
Considering they formed back in 1987,
Glasgow's Trashcan Sinatras virtually span
both generations. Stylistically, they definitely
belong more in the earlier camp, and their
brand new CD, Weightlifting, can be heartily
recommended to lovers of moody and literate
Britpop.
It is just their fourth album, but the rave reviews
it is getting marks a real change of fortune for
the veteran quintet. Trashcan Sinatras built a
dedicated fan base on both sides of the Atlantic
with their first two albums, 1990's Cake and
1993's I've Seen Everything. They were popular
on college radio in North America, but
changing musical tastes found the band
somewhat relegated to the trashcan
themselves.
It is a sign of the times and tastes that the
group couldn't even find a record label in Britain
to release Weightlifting. They're putting it out
there themselves, but thankfully American label
SpinART and their Canadian partner Linus
recognized its worth. Interestingly enough, we
get the album here six weeks ahead of Britain
and Japan.
Guitarist John Douglas explains that "we ran
into various problems finding a U.K. label, so
we eventually decided to self-release the
record. The journey to this decision was long
and laborious and depressing at times. Our
eyes were opened to the way the industry is
right now, and we believe we made the wisest
decision."
Sparking American interest was the band's blitz
of this past South By Southwest Festival in
Austin. They played five gigs, attracting plenty of
media attention in the process. "That was the
most wonderful experience," says John. "We
managed to stumble across some very helpful
people. There seemed to be a general feeling
of fondness and goodwill from all who could
recall us, and the reaction to our new material
was fantastic." Getting to meet Willie Nelson,
one of his musical heroes, was another SXSW
highlight.
Not that Trashcan Sinatras are in too much
danger of becoming the next big thing. They are
just too understated for that, as Douglas
realizes. "We seem to live in times where fame
and exposure is granted to the most bizarre
things. My general reaction is to step back and
quietly observe the madness, and then while
away the hours with my compadres, busying
ourselves with the creation of, hopefully,
special things. We have been at this lark for a
good number of years now, and the truth is the
past seven years have seen a lot more bad
than good times. But we are a very determined
bunch, utterly convinced of our worth and blown
away by the songs we create together. They
reflect and enhance our lives."
This self-confidence and the obvious empathy
amongst the five members (Douglas, Paul
Livingston, Stephen Douglas, Davy Hughes
and Francis Reader) shines through on
Weightlifting. Singer Reader is the brother of
Eddi Reader, the charming vocalist for
Fairground Attraction ("Perfect"), so musical
talent clearly runs in that family.
Tasteful string arrangements enhance some
songs, and such atmospheric imagery as "on
the sunset, horses silhouette" ("All The Dark
Horses") is refreshing. An excellent mixing job
from Andy Chase (Ivy) and a cameo from fellow
Scot Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) are
other assets. Trashcan Sinatras will soon
begin a North American tour that will include
Montreal and Toronto dates. John Douglas
recalls that "we had to cancel a show in
Montreal in 1993 because the roads were
closed due to a heavy snowfall!"
Their timing now looks much better, all the way
around.

Publication Date: 2004-09-05
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4366