weightlifting album review

the town talk (louisiana)

by andrew griffin
october 16, 2004

Trashcan Sinatras - “Weightlifting” (SpinArt)

"Obscurity Knocks" was one of those strummy, jangly pop tunes that was lyrically abstract but musically heavenly. I would play it over in my freshman dorm jambox back in 1991.

That song, off their 1990 album "Cake," was a minor hit for the Scottish band and seemed destined to propel the group to Smiths-like stardom.

That was not to be. Unfortunately, the Sinatras got into the game a little too late. British jangle-pop was considered passe by the mid-90s and the Sinatras were nowhere to be seen, at least on this side of the pond. Sure, they recorded some stuff but really, their last full-length record was released way back in 1996.

Fast-forward to 2004 and we find the Trashcan Sinatras with a bunch of great new songs on their album "Weightlifting," released on the pop-friendly spinART record label.

Older and wiser, the Sinatras, led by lead singer Francis Reader, have some tunes here that are far more accessible than their "Cake"-era material.

There is a bucolic and comfortable feeling to these songs. Bittersweet overtones and seasonal sadness.

The murder mystery melancholia of "Trouble Sleeping" really draws the listener into the song.

Dreamy, 70's-styled guitar effects, provided by guitarists John Douglas and Paul Livingston, enhance the lovely track "Usually."

Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake shows up on "Got Carried Away."

The goosebump-inducing exhilaration of "All the Dark Horses" proves the song to be a jaunty pop gem.

The quiet beauty of "What Women Do to Men" is the album's highlight.

The pretty lullaby "Country Air" is interesting in that it makes the dermatologically awkward subject of "moles" seem almost romantic.

I find myself going back again and again to "Weightlifting." I guess I underestimated this group. I like that about them. Fans of Coldplay, Belle & Sebastian and Travis will enjoy Trashcan Sinatras.

Originally appeared in the Town Talk .