The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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Scottish indie pop stalwarts the Trash Can Sinatras were founded outside of Glasgow in 1987 by singer/guitarist Frank Reader (the brother of ex-Fairground Attraction singer Eddi Reader), guitarists John Douglas and Paul Livingston, bassist George McDaid, and drummer Stephen Douglas. Initially formed as a cover band, they were performing in a local bar when they were discovered by Go! Discs label representative Simon Dine; their first single, the superb "Obscurity Knocks," appeared in early 1990, evoking the jangly guitar pop crafted by Scottish bands like Aztec Camera, Orange Juice, and Josef K a decade earlier. A second Trash Can Sinatras single, "Only Tongue Can Tell," preceded the release of the quintet's debut LP, Cake, which met with a positive response on both sides of the Atlantic; in the U.S., it became a particular favorite on college radio. McDaid left the lineup in 1992, and was replaced by bassist David Hughes; by the time the Trash Can Sinatras' sophomore effort, I've Seen Everything, finally appeared in 1993, however, the ascendance of grunge essentially derailed whatever commercial momentum the group still had left, and 1996's A Happy Pocket was not even released in America. A new single, "Snow," followed in late 1999. They made a triumphant return to the scene in 2004 with their Spin Art release Weightlifting and a world tour that had them wowing old fans and gaining new ones with their typically wonderful display of melody and emotion. The group followed up the album the next year with Fez, a limited-edition album made up of live acoustic recordings made at New York's Fez nightclub. After a relatively uneventful couple of years, the band reconvened in late 2007 to beginning recording a new album. The results (which featured Carly Simon singing on a track!) were issued as In the Music by Lo-Five in the summer of 2009.

Jason Ankeny, Allmusic.com

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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Long before Travis and Coldplay came along, the Trash Can Sinatras enchanted college-aged Anglophiles with their jangly brand of emotive Brit-pop. Seen as musical fluff by fans of early-'90s pre-Nirvana alternative and ignored by fans of mid- to late-'90s post-Nirvana alternative, these five Scottish lads smoothed the edges but sharpened the hooks of a developing genre. The Trash Can Sinatras' 1990 debut, Cake, mixes intricately intertwined guitars, in the spirit of a more charming, less gritty Johnny Marr, with lush strings and sophisticated harmonies. Touchingly clever wordplay ("You came into my life/Like a brick through a window/And I cracked a smile") abounds, as on "The Best Man's Fall." The clean production – necessary for such elaborate orchestration – is extremely warm and inviting. Singles like "Obscurity Knocks" and "Only Tongue Will Tell" as well as "Maybe I Should Drive" prove to be the tastiest pieces of pure pop pleasure. But sugar can be bittersweet and laced with longing, as on "Thrupenny Tears" and "You Made Me Feel." Regardless of the relative mood, this debut is noticeably devoid of musical missteps – quite a feat for a new artist. Easy on the ears and palate, Cake is as filling and digestible an album as one could hope. Subsequent Trash Can Sinatras releases reach for the same greatness but ultimately fall a little short. This precursor to early 21st century Brit-pop darkens the occasional used record store bin. And it tastes almost as fresh as the day it was made.

Norm Elrod, Allmusic.com

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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The languid title track of I've Seen Everything is, like the amazing "Hayfever" single off that LP, no slouch either. So if you don't have the wonderful LP both A-sides are from, I've Seen Everything, here's another great taste. Of more importance, however, are the three non-LP B-sides found here. In fact, it's a shame the up-tempo "I'm the One Who Fainted" the equally brisk "Houseproud," and especially the truly delightful "Ask Davy," an outstanding track, from the I've Seen Everything EP, didn't make the LP. These songs are so immediately strong, with some of their most urgently catchy words and tunes, they easily defeat more than half of the tracks that made the LP, particularly the rash of quiet ones in a row in the middle of the album. Perhaps they were recorded after the LP since they're (very well!) self-produced.

Jack Rabid, Allmusic.com

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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After the glorious pop masterpieces that were the Trash Can Sinatras' first two albums, A Happy Pocket is a bit of a letdown. Murky production, strange vocal effects that obscure Francis Reader's delicate voice, and an over-reliance on mandolin overdubs make for a generally less than engaging listen. That doesn't mean that there aren't some fine additions to the Trash Can canon, as "The Safecracker," "Twisted & Bent," "How Can I Apply…?," and "The Therapist" are absolutely sublime. One gets the sense that the album was only half complete upon its release. Indeed, a rotating bevy of mixers and engineers are credited with various batches of the songs. At least one-third of the album comes across like a collection of fleshless demos. Particularly stale is the amateurish cover of "To Sir With Love" that sounds as if it was recorded underwater with Reader half-asleep. A Happy Pocket is certainly more subdued than the band's earlier albums, but that's not what makes it disappointing. It's as if the band took a step backward, stripped down their trademark jangling guitars, and decided to rely on studio polish in place of their usually stellar hooks. Had it not been for the stunning musicianship and energy of the previous albums, A Happy Pocket would probably be more enjoyable. But outside of the occasional gems, as stellar as they are, A Happy Pocket lags far behind the band's earlier output due to poor sequencing, some sloppy production choices, and a lack of editing prowess. Had the album been edited down to five or six songs, it would have made a fine mini-album.

Allmusic.com

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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Four years missing – and presumed dead by most who knew them – Scotland's Trash Can Sinatras eke out a new single, having to go to the Far East to do it. Even more than the surprisingly gentle vibe of 1996's third LP, A Happy Pocket, "Snow" is a lithe little throbber, a beautiful gauze of still atmosphere and sighing, with Frank Reader's most sympathetic, romantic vocal ever. "Snow/Fills the fields we used to know/And the little park where we would go/Lies far below in the snow/Gone, it's all over and you're gone/But the memory lives on/Although our dream lies buried in the snow," he croons. I could give you the rest of the words, but they can't break your heart as badly as if you hear the bridge that follows, sung in the sort of pained sadness that's all about the humanity of having lost someone sacred. The piano swells, his voice breaks, and you might well cry – this is what music can do to you (like the Smiths once did). The bass throbs, the guitars play like snow bunnies in the background, and rows of chimes glisten like icicles. Oh man, is this tender and pretty, an aural snow scene as serene as full of gorgeous aural sheen. The B-sides ("Leave Me Alone" and "Co-Stars") are nearly as enchanting, as guitars trill (nice slide part on the latter), an organ gambols, a piano plinks, and Reader taps into the most soulful dimensions of his pipes. This is well worth the difficulty to track down.

Jack Rabid, Allmusic.com

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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The Trash Can Sinatras' third album, 1996's A Happy Pocket, sank out of sight on a wave of apathy from the record-buying public, critics, and seemingly the bandmembers themselves. Apart from a hard to find EP from 2000, this is the group's first album since and it is a satisfying return to the jangling heights of their wonderful albums Cake (1990) and I've Seen Everything (1993). On their 2004 return to glory, Weightlifting, the band has thankfully made few concessions to modern times. There are no drum loops, soundscapes, or duff hip-hop tracks; nothing here wouldn't have sounded perfect in the early '90s. They also have written a batch of soothingly melodic, achingly pretty songs that may not contain anything as immediate or hooky as "Obscurity Knocks" or "Hayfever," but still pack quite the emotional punch. Francis Reader's voice is the same sweet melancholy croon that it was back in the day, and he wraps it around some melancholy gems that will be twanging the heartstrings of Trash Can fans both old and new. The majority of the album's tracks are lovely ballads like "Got Carried Away," "What Woman Do to Men," and "A Coda," the last being the best of them with its strings and Scottish soul feel. "Usually" is the standout; Reader sounds positively angelic and the strings bathe him in sorrowful splendor. "Country Air" is also a splendid cut with some plangent acoustic guitar, loads of atmosphere, and some smart soundtrack-flavored chord changes. The uptempo songs are darn good, too; "Welcome Back" is a powerful opener and statement of intent, "It's a Miracle" combines classic '90s jangle pop guitars with a bouncing beat and some rumbling timpani, and the title track has rich backing vocals and Reader's most intimate and powerful vocals. The song that should be a hit is the glittering "Freetime," with its jaunty beat, winning melody, and bells – of course it won't be, but what can you do? Play it again and again, one supposes. The only small flaw with the album is the occasional heavy metal guitar solo that stands out like a sore plectrum. That kind of guitar-store technique has little place in music as charming and sweetly pastoral as this. Luckily, it only rears its ugly mug once or twice, most notably on "Welcome Back." Apart from that, Weightlifting is like a gift to anyone who was left hanging by the band's disappearance. Listening to the record makes you feel like it's 1993 again – in a good way; a melodic, honest, and jangly kind of way; a way that makes you think "nobody makes records like this anymore." Hey, not too many people made them as good as this back then, either. A great comeback that deserves every last bit of attention it gets.

Tim Sendra, Allmusic.com

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The Trash Can Sinatras - Albums Collection 1990-2009 [6CD]

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The Trash Can Sinatras have settled into the "album every five years" plan and judging by both 2004’s Weightlifting and 2009’s In the Music, it’s a plan that works for them. It may even be the secret to keeping their sound fresh. In the Music features songs good enough to have been on any of their early albums and arrangements that are as smooth and lush as ever, and best of all perhaps, singer Frank Reader's voice hasn’t lost any of its warmth. He sails through the midtempo tracks that make up most of the album with a nimble grace that seems almost miraculous for a guy who’s been doing it for so long. His is the kind of voice that sounds like an old friend who holds all the secrets to life and if you ask real nice, he’ll share them with you over a late-night pint or two. The rest of the band is in tune with this feeling as well, and their playing on the album is smoothly sympathetic with not a single duff moment or false note. Though The Trash Can Sinatras sound their best when they stay in the sophisticated midtempo pop pocket, they can also convincingly settle into a soulful groove (the title track), jangle like the Byrds ("Prisons"), or get late-night quiet ("Oranges and Apples"). It’s a masterfully played record, sung with passion and full of easy hooks; in other words, a Trash Can Sinatras record. Just like they’ve been making for two decades.

Tim Sendra, Allmusic.com