weightlifting album review

ekconline.com (kansas city)

by gillian titus
november 10, 2004

Trashcan Sinatras - Weightlifting

It must be the rain. How else to explain the exquisite "twee mopiness" of such Scottish indie-pop acts as Belle and Sebastian, Aztec Camera, and the Trashcan Sinatras?

The Irvine, Scotland-based Sinatras' latest, the perfectly titled Weightlifting, is a mesmerizing follow-up to its 1996 release, A Happy Pocket, and proof that there is a direct correlation between bad weather and finely crafted music.

The band's harmonies elevate you to another realm. The perfect mix of acoustic guitars, strings, and horns — it's baffling how these guys have managed to stay under the radar of popular music since their inception in 1987.

Since the band's first release in 1990, it has made four albums on four labels, which could explain the lengthy periods between recordings. However, the longer wait has made the payoff sweeter when listening to such George Harrison-tinged tracks like "All the Dark Horses" and the title cut.

The highlights include the Beatle-esque swirling pop exhilaration of "Usually" and the bruises-and-all breakup ballad "Leave Me Alone." There are no bloated b-sides, no filler. Every song sounds like a single, and after eight years, you would assume there would be a few.

The best music is found when you least expect it, and this is easily one of the best (and most under-appreciated) CDs of the year.

Originally appeared in ekconline.com.