Veteran Scottish popsters the Trashcans are finally set to release their fourth LP, Weightlifting, their first since 1996's A Happy Pocket. This EP, then, is a three-song teaser from that long-awaited effort, with a concert recording tacked on for good value for fans new and old (all told, it's a 54-minute "EP!").
The lead "All the Dark Horses" finds them reclaiming the original thread of brighter days, when their LPs were released here via London/Polygram, and the group built a small but ultra-appreciative following as the poor man's Smiths. Since singer Frank Reader has never sounded like Morrissey at all (he's always been more a dead ringer for Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame; so much that I can never tell them apart), that's been just fine. And this song catches that quality to a "t," with its fluid, out-of-the-dryer fresh Johnny Marr-type guitar chords, which convey a bracing breeze for evocative words such as "through the fields, in the night, all the dark horses ride..." There's always been something incredibly fluid and romantic about their sound, the poetry of the calm soul, and this is enlivened work. The slower, more tranquil "Usually" is more Happy Pocket ground, with the almost too-hushed atmospherics. But this is more like restrained soul music; rather nice at that. Lastly "Weightlifting", as in "a weight lifted", keeps that stillness factor coming, but this time it's all quiet, chiming, charming little guitar trills and a reassuring tone. All in all, it should be a great LP. (As for the 11-song live recording from Paris' Le Bataclan, it's a good quality, bright recording that captures the band's aesthetic rather precisely via a near perfect set list. See the bracing version of the ever-standout "Hayfever!")
Meanwhile, the double-CD Zebra is aimed at the aforementioned loyal fanbase, as the band empties its vaults for a 41-song collection of their demos, sessions, and unreleased songs from 1986-1997. Though the sound quality varies, as one would expect, and the Trashcans are the sort of band that typically astutely improves on its original demos (as all great bands do), meaning that newcomers are better advised to seek the proper LPs, Zebra ends up forming a succinct alternative overview of all the good work they've done previously. From the cheery, early "Obscurity Knocks" 1989 demo to the slithering "I've Seen Everything" 1990 demo to the rustic "The Main Attraction" 1994 demo, one clearly sees the maturation. It's the beautiful shadings they've employed, adding more the depth and richness, which has always set them apart from the throngs of flameout Brit popsters they've outlasted. (www.trashcansinatras.com).
Originally appeared in the Big Takeover. |
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Live at Fez in New York
November 10, 2003
Although these Scots pop-poets have maintained a fairly low profile over the last few years, any doubt that the group's faithful legions have forgotten them were dispelled by a packed house (sold out in a day) at New York's venerable Fez. In town to finish mixing their fourth (and, let's face it, long forthcoming) album with Ivy's Andy Chase, a guitars-only line-up of Frank Reader, John Douglas and Paul Livingston bashed their way through a 75 minute set of TCS faves spanning Cake, I've Seen Everything and A Happy Pocket, plus a selection of new compositions. This wasn't some tame sit down affair though, Reader and Douglas delivered the songs with energy and brio, with Livingston's jazzy arpeggios adding color and context throughout. Most promisingly, it was the new material - especially "Freetime" and the excellent "Prisons" - that stood out strongest. The band says keep an eye out for Weightlifting sometime in 2004.
Originally appeared in the Big Takeover.
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