Tuesday, December 07, 2004
The clothes we wear, the tasteless bracelets, and the dye in our hair
"This song is for anyone who's had their hearts smashed to bits" was how they introduced one song; "This song is for anyone who's had their face smashed to bits" was the intro for the one that followed. Put mildly, The Trashcan Sinatras turned in a marvelous set of music tonight at Maxwell's, and exhibited gentle good humor in their understated way. Stripped down to a four-piece—they usually are five—these Scottish gents played some old faves but heavily favored material from their latest CD, Weightlifting, their first full album in eight years.
It was a pretty empty back room at Maxwell's for a band of this calibre, but it was a last-minute booking, no opening act, a rainy Monday night in December. The forty or so people in attendance ate it all up. Loop Lounge DJs were well represented in the crowd. One of them, Pat Pierson, will have these very same Sinatras playing and chatting on his radio show today from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Tune in.
My biggest beef with the Trashcans is the inconsistent spelling of their name. On the artwork for Weightlifting, Trashcan is one word, lowercase c. This clearly isn't a design conceit. It's on purpose. Tonight at the show, I picked up On A B Road, their two-disc, 42-song b-sides and covers collection, also a 2004 release. On the cover and spines, it's Trash Can, two words, capital C. I realize this is the height of nerdity, but which is it, boys? I don't even care which one you choose, just pick one and stick with it. I proofread album text for a living; don't you understand it's exactly this sort of inconsistency that drives me to the edge of insanity? Have you no regard for my feelings?
Haven't spun that b-sides comp yet, but for $15 it's shaping up to be one of the steals of the year. The covers include "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Love On A Farmboy's Wages," "Senses Working Overtime," "Dolphins," "The Lady Is A Tramp," "Something Stupid," "I Know It's Over," and "Alfie." Rock.
