Customer Reviews

Weightlifting

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Scotland's best kept secret is back, and better than ever! I can not stop listening to this CD, as each song quickly moves to the top of my iTunes list of most frequently played tracks. As wonderful as "Cake," "I've Seen Everything," and "A Happy Pocket" are, this is not like any of those three albums. "Weightlifting" is so much more mature, more soulful, more deep, more mellow, and more beautiful than anything they've ever done before. Why these guys aren't bigger is beyond me.

This CD isn't just for the 30/40 something age group which has been following the TCS since 1990. After listening to the album in my classroom, one of my high-school students has, in her own words, "fallen in love with the Trashcan Sinatras!"

My personal favorites: "All the Dark Horses," "Weightlifting," "Got Carried Away," and "It's a Miracle." That said, I never use the skip button when this CD is in the player - every track is worth a listen.

A recommendation: If you love this CD, try "Keep Going" from Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time.

Ever since my brother put his cassette of "Cake" in my parents' old stereo, sparking a spontaneous family dance to "Obscurity Knocks", I have been a Trashcan Sinatras fan. I saw them at a great show at the 9:30 Club in D.C. in 1993 with my sister and was awestruck at the fun they had and their talent and Francis Reader's charisma. I have bought the B sides CDs and followed them via their website. I kept my eyes open for this CD after Francis said it would be good back in late 2003, and I stumbled onto it on a Amazon CD safari in September. I was so excited I ordered one for my sister, too (I don't even think she has listened to it yet). It is everything I hoped it would be. Each song is a separate marvel. I love the wordplay and think Francis has one of the best and most expressive voices in pop music (especially when he cuts it loose). It is less jangly than their second CD, more lively than "A Happy Pocket", and better than anything else you will buy this year. It grows on me with every listen.

I've been listening to these guys religiously since 1990 because they are just the best, and this album re-instates them as The Little Scottish Band That Could... The Trashcans create a lush landscape of soothing sounds on each carefully crafted song here. It's almost as if each song breezes in through the front door, stays for a cup of tea, and leaves you with a different piece to the puzzle of life, love, loss, pain, and renewal. After a few listens you will welcome them back often. Frank Reader has one of the more brilliant voices in all of popdom; Paul Livingston has the jangled guitar sound under his careful control, and John and Stephen Douglas and Davey Hughes keep a rhythm going that plays smart rather than playing hard. Everything fits together just right and the bonus DVD is great as well.

The Trashcan Sinatras easily outshine the likes of Doves, Coldplay, Travis, Belle & Sebastian, and Embrace at their finer moments, and fans of those bands would surely do best to order 2 COPIES of Weightlifting, so that an extra is readily available in case of emergency.

It's been a very long while since TCS's last album, the 1996 release "A Happy Pocket", which was, I think, only available here as an import. But finally the wait is over and patient fans have been rewarded with yet another collection of sparkling pop gems. After the first listen of this album, I felt that it would have to grow on me a bit, like two friends getting reaquainted after a long separation. The first thing I noticed is that the quirkiness is gone - there are no songs like "I Must Fly" or "Sleeping Policeman" from "A Happy Pocket" or the unusually muscular "One At A Time" from 1993's "I've Seen Everything". That's a bit disappointing since it gives the album sort of an even keel. But the solid songwriting makes up for it. The Trashcans have matured quite a bit and it's only natural the music should reflect that.

A number of the songs are more reflective - the plaintive "A Coda", which relates a broken relationship that's set to a steady accompaniment or guitar and piano and soft drumming. "What Women Do To Men" explores the same territory with a lush string arrangement. One fastly becoming my favorite is "Trouble Sleeping", a dark number about the aftermath of losing a child to violence. "Country Air" is the only slow track that I feel like skipping over from time to time. It's not a bad song, it's just that the melody seems forced and doesn't move me.

The brighter, upbeat numbers are here too. "Welcome Back" is a strong album opener filled with chiming guitars. "All The Dark Horses" is a destined to be a TCS classic with a great soaring chorus. "It's A Miracle" gallops along led by a great strong bassline. This would be a good choice for a single.

However, the peak moment comes at the end of the album, with "Weightlifting". This song is already one of my all-time TCS favorites, destined to take its place next to "The Genius I Was", "Hayfever", and "Only Tongue Can Tell" as a TCS standard. The warmth of this song is incredible. If there was ever a song that embraced you with open arms and planted a kiss on your forehead, then this is it. An absolute jaw-dropper.

All TCS albums are worth getting. But I feel "Weightlifting" and their debut, "Cake" are probably good starting points. "I've Seen Everything" would be the next step to take if those first two make a strong impression. The difficult to find "A Happy Pocket" is just as worthy if you can score a copy. So if you're new to the Trashcan Sinatras but are fans of Aztec Camera, Smiths, Housemartins, or Travis definitely give this band a listen.

I've just recently seen TCS live, and they were brilliant on stage as well.

The Trash Cans were magnanimous in giving us a whole concert in addition to the preview of their coming album. The concert is a perfect collection of the previous albums and the three new songs complement the past very well. "All the Dark Horses" sounds like the breezier songs on "Cake." Yet the troubles of the past seven years since the last album and overall growth since their first lp colors "Dark Horses" and the other two songs, "Usually" and "Weightlifting," with an extraordinary depth.
I recommend this ep definitely to any longtime fan curious about the Trashcans and their dealings over the past several years. In addition, fans and newcomers alike should check out the webpage www.trashcansinatras.com for more available rarities and knickknacks from the most fan-friendly band I've ever known. The new album will be legendary. Based from this ep and the live tracks and concerts I've enjoyed over the past year, the Trash Cans deserve their label of world's most under-appreciated and perfect band. They do no wrong.

These days it seems like the whole world is looking for something meaningful in pop music. Unfortunately everyone tends to overlook the Trash Can Sinatras. Here they are in all their splendid glory. A shining example of perfection, complete with shimmering guitars, beautiful melodies, and perfect harmonies. It's amazing what can be done with guitars, bass, vocals, and drums. Alternative rock fans continue to buy Morrissey records or records of newer bands in a search for a fleeting glimpse of nostalgia and melancholy. Why do they do this when there's something much more tangible and much more honest in the music of the Trash Can Sinatras. This music harks to the beauty and innocence of the past generations. They are steadfast in continuing in the long tradition of Scottish bands who have been extremely influential but often overlooked (except for Franz Ferdinand). In case you need to be reminded here is a list of Scottish bands,The Jesus and Mary Chain, Teenage Fanclub, Travis, Belle and Sebastian, Primal Scream, Cocteau Twins, and Franz Ferdinand.

This cd is a great come-back album from these lads from Scotland.
There is the second track "got carried away" will blow you away. And the more familiar Trashcan Sinatras slow songs but sentimental such as "a coda" and "leave me alone" can be categorized as the best ones, almost similar to the same feelings you get listening to the song "earlies" from their sophomore album, that was released over ten years ago. The album is so good that you can play it over and over again, never getting sick of Frank's voice and words that mix quite well with the perfect sounds the rest of the band contributes.

The bonus DVD is a great visionary souvenir if you are a true fan. Recorded early spring 2004, it forever captures the whole band's musical harmony. It's been over ten years since they've had some tours, especially in the West Coast. I even managed to meet them in one of their shows.

This is a great cd, and it's so worth the long wait, since they've recorded their last studio length cd.

After years and years of waiting, "Weightlifting", the fourth studio album from Trashcan Sinatras, is an absolute masterpiece. The three previous releases, "Cake", "I've Seen Everything", and the unreleased in the U.S. "A Happy Pocket", allowed us to watch TCS grow and mature musically and personally. "Weightlifting" is the culmination of a long and arduous journey.

It is obvious that TCS worked/re-recorded/re-mastered this album to THEIR liking - and it paid off wonderfully. The opening "Welcome Back" jumps at the listener, reassuring TCS fans that all is well in music again. "Got Carried Away" may epitomize TCS at it's best - beautiful layered harmonic lyrics fitting perfectly with the guitars, bass and drums. The album rolls through upbeat and mellow selections, ending with the perfect song, the title song "Weightlifting". How true this is, in light of the struggle in putting out this album.

For those of you who love fantastic music with pop sensibility, take a flyer on this album. You will not regret it. And for TCS faithful, what are you waiting for?

The fact that these guys are still as underrated as they are is one of the American music industry's biggest faults. The fact that so many of their albums are so inaccessible is another. Of course, the Trashcan Sinatras' relative anonymity only lends to the immaculate charm of their diamond-in-the-rough musical styling. Songs ranging from the buoyant "All the Dark Horses" and "Freetime" and the delicately sober "Usually" and "A Coda," for example, represent everything that's right about solidly constructed pop music. There isn't a single throwaway tune in the whole masterpiece--sure, masterpiece--of "Weightlifting." Organic and believable, from beginning to end this is a lesson in potency, understatement, and the craft of aural architecture.

There are several reviews that I agree wholeheartedly with. #1 is that I think Cake is the best album of all time ( absolute genius). The other is that Trash Can Sinatras may be the most underrated band of all time. With Weightlifting the Sinatras prove once again that they are miles above the crowd of wanna-be rock stars that continually dole out mindless crap with no redeeming value. The sound is more mature. The cleverness evident in Cake has been softened to a sultry almost melancholy style. The subject matter is mostly about love and the odd conflicts that arise from relationships. These guys tug at the heartstrings better than anyone. If you have the misfortune of going through a break up, be prepared to shed a few tears. I have the greatest respect for this band. They have continued to produce nothing but quality music in a world that seems to have lost it's appreciation for true quality. BRAVO lads BRAVO!