Trashcan Sinatras, Weightlifting

reviewed by anna battista

The new Trashcan Sinatras album arrives after a lengthy hiatus of time: Weightlifting is the first proper album since 1996's A Happy Pocket, even though the band released in 2003 Zebra of the Family, a double CD compilation including rare and unreleased tracks. Weightlifting is an excellent album that marks the return of Trashcan Sinatras. The various problems which afflicted the band seem to have been left far behind, allowing the band to reintroduce themselves on the international music scene.

While songs such as "Welcome Back", "All The Dark Horses" and "It's A Miracle" are more fast-paced, most of the other tracks are melodic slow numbers with sad, heartrending lyrics. "Got Carried Away" is so gentle you can only swoon while listening to it (and it features Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake on vocals); "What Women Do To Men" seems to be the answer to Aztec Camera's "How Men Are"; "Trouble Sleeping" is a dark song about a child's murder. The album closes with two great songs, "Leave Me Alone" the best track ever written about a broken relationship, and with the song that gives the title to the album, soothing and uplifting.

Weightlifting has probably darker tones compared to the band's previous albums, but it is also Trashcan Sinatras' more mature, accomplished work, which reconfirms that the Trashcans are one of the most talented bands around. On "Welcome Back", Francis Reader sings "Welcome back, back to health, back from the edge where we found you," and after listening to Weightlifting you can only hope that now that the Trashcans and their magic music are back, they will stay with us forever. www.trashcansinatras.com

Issue 27, October 2004