Scotland's Trashcan Sinatras return to the US in more than a decade. - Oh My Rockness

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Scotland's Trashcan Sinatras return to the US in more than a decade.

April 9, 2004
They said the love would never last, that they were simply a high school fling, puppy love if you will. But I could never seem to let them go. No, Trashcan Sinatras have been firmly entrenched in my musical heart since the salad days of characterless classes, cool kid cliques and cafeteria catfights.

I often wonder why I have held on to them. I am years removed from my obsessive, yet blissful, brit-pop phase. I hardly ever listen to My Bloody Valentine anymore. The Smiths enter my life only when someone puts a quarter in the jukebox. My Ride CDs gather dust in a forgotten storage bin. Yet over the last decade my TCS albums have never been out of rotation for more than a few months.

Maybe I still listen because the Scottish lads never got their due and I feel personally responsible to champion their efforts. Or perhaps it's because TCS' near-perfect pop songs have the uncanny ability to resist sounding stale or dated. But most likely, I listen because their music still makes me feel good. This muddles the riddle even more since TCS aren't really a feel good band (no hand clapping is to be found on any of their albums.) In actuality, the spine of their sound is that of melancholy. But it's the kind of melancholy that doesn't deflate, but rather elates, in its wistfulness. This may seem like an oxymoron, but so does the fact that one of the best bands of the last fifteen years could barely get a record deal.

TCS have been holed up in Scotland for years, but now they are back. A few months ago, they played a few concerts in the States for the first time in close to a decade. Their shows sold out instantly with tickets going on ebay for a hundred and fifty bucks. The verve generated from these shows, and their triumphant appearance at SXSW, helped them finally land that elusive record deal. And they now have the funds to do a proper US tour.

It's not too late to get on the TCS bandwagon. Go see their show at Bowery. Then listen to 1989's Cake and work your way up to 2004's Weightlifting. If they don't make you feel good, I vow to repeat the tenth grade (and beat up that hotshot quarterback Johnny Rogers while I'm there. That guy was such an asshole.).

Trashcan Sinatras play Bowery Ballroom Saturday, September 18th with Roddy Hart.

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