weightlifting has the trashcan sinatras all pumped up

seattle post-intelligencer

by tizzy asher
october 1, 2004

It's been eight years since the Trashcan Sinatras released a record, and even longer since they toured the United States. And while most bands would disappear from the public eye when faced with such a protracted absence, the Scottish pop band has come back stronger than ever with its new album, "Weightlifting" (SpinART).

Part of the reason the Trashcans have survived is because there is something addictive about their gentle, swooning Brit pop. The strength of the band's difficult-to-find back catalog (its three previous albums are long out-of-print and one was never released in the states) has helped it amass a small but loyal following. The fans helped the band get through a difficult bankruptcy in the late 1990s and negotiate starting its own record label.

As they begin their first U.S. tour in 10 years in support of "Weightlifting," the Trashcans are just beginning to recognize the benefit of this. "It's been good so far," says guitarist Paul Livingston. "It's promising. We are always kind of aware that (promoting a record) takes a long time and the main thing was to get it out and start working."

And then there's the music. "Weightlifting" doesn't reach the giddy perfection of their last record, 1996's "A Happy Pocket," but it does offer more of the band's introspective, literate pop. Tracks such as "All the Dark Horses" and "It's a Miracle" win with layers of swirling guitars, while others incorporate horns and strings to augment the sound. Vocalist Francis Reader still sounds like a wistful schoolboy, but longtime fans will notice the absence of wordplay and puns in the lyrics. It's a change that Livingston says they've been working on for a long time. "The favorite bits of our songs are the honest bits," he admits.

The album is nothing if not honest. It's the sound of a band that has suffered over the years, and has come back if not stronger, at least wiser. "I think there are dark things on ('Weightlifting')," Livingston says, "but the overall view is of acceptance and relaxing into things."

The Trashcan Sinatras play the Crocodile tonight (9; $15 advance at TicketWeb). They also will perform at Easy Street Records on Queen Anne (6 p.m.; free).

Originally appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.