No Treasure But Hope

There are few if any working bands who craft their music as meticulously as Tindersticks; their music is like a suspension bridge built out of nuance, a wealth of small details coming together into something tremendously powerful even when its whisper quiet (which is often). So its surprising to learn that the groups 2019 album No Treasure But Hope was recorded in less than a week. Rather than creating an elaborately constructed piece in the studio and then figuring out how to play it on-stage, in this case they opted to establish the framework of their compositions first, and then played them live in the studio for a more natural, organic feel. But if anyone was expecting No Treasure But Hope to sound rougher or less precise given the way it was recorded, theyd be wrong. The craft these performers bring to this music is as stunning as ever, and the interplay between the musicians is wondrous, made all the more remarkable by the deeply affecting murmur of Stuart Staples vocals. As one might expect from Tindersticks, No Treasure But Hope often feels dour and somewhat overcast, despite the strength of the tunes and the abilities of the instrumentalists. This has never been a group given to upbeat themes, but theres an all too real passion in Pinky in the Daylight and a wary encouragement in Take Care of Your Dreams to remind us Tindersticks arent pessimists for its own sake, theyre romantics whove been disappointed by the world but still believe in lifes possibilities. Theres really no one else who does exactly what Tindersticks can, and No Treasure But Hope confirms they can not only create music of striking and forbidding beauty, they can do it in a hurry if need be. ~ Mark Deming