Across Six Leap Years

Across Six Leap Years
Studio album by Tindersticks
Released 14 October 2013
Recorded 6–12 April and 13 May 2013
at Abbey Road Studios, London
Length 51:07
Label Lucky Dog/City Slang
Producer Stuart A. Staples
Tindersticks chronology
Les Salauds (soundtrack)
(2013)		 Across Six Leap Years
(2013)		 The Waiting Room
(2016)

Across Six Leap Years is the tenth studio album by British alternative band Tindersticks, released on 14 October 2013.[1][2] The album consists of ten previously released songs from the band's and singer Stuart Staples' solo back catalogue, which were re-recorded at Abbey Road Studios.[3] The title refers to the fact that there had been six leap years (from 1992 to 2012) during the 21 years that Tindersticks had been together up to the recording of this album, and hinted that the record was something of a retrospective interpretation of their career.

Musical content

David Boulter and Stuart Staples stated on Tindersticks' website that the songs included on Across Six Leap Years were ones they felt had not been recorded originally in the manner that the band had wanted, or that they had been "lost"—"Friday Night" and "Marseilles Sunshine" were originally written for a new Tindersticks album following Waiting for the Moon, before ending up on Staples' debut solo album in simpler forms after the original line-up of the group broke up, while "What Are You Fighting For?" was intended to be the closing track on The Hungry Saw but was never completed in time.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Mojo[6]
NME7/10[3]
Pitchfork Media7.4/10.0[7]
Record Collector[8]
Time Out London[9]
Uncut[10]

Reviews for Across Six Leap Years were mixed to generally positive, although several reviewers questioned the necessity of re-recording some of the songs in a manner so similar to the originals. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album has received a metascore of 68, based on 7 reviews.[4]

Uncut described the album as "a slightly pointless retrospective"[10] while Allmusic said that many of the songs "remain so close to the original arrangements they merely retread the floorboards with slightly more polish and greater fidelity... There isn't anything inherently 'wrong' with the music on Across Six Leap Years [but] this feels more like a shoulder shrug than an anniversary celebration".[5] NME observed that "the 'improvements' here are virtually imperceptible for those of us unconcerned with rim-tap reverb. You suspect Stuart Staples wanted to re-sing 'A Night In' while simply smoking a better brand of French cigarette, but Across… is nonetheless a very fond retread around the outskirts of a dank, delectable career."[3] Mojo described the album as "unreservedly recommended, but for the uninitiated and obsessives only",[6] while Pitchfork Media offered the opinion that "these songs don't stray far from the original pieces, instead working as tasteful updates that add a dab of cohesion that was never needed in the first place."[7] Record Collector stated that "many of these reworks are so slightly different as to possibly only truly satisfy the [fans], but no matter. A great song is a great song is a great song."[8]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Original version appeared on Length
1. "Friday Night"  Stuart StaplesLucky Dog Recordings 03–04 5:30
2. "Marseilles Sunshine"  StaplesLucky Dog Recordings 03–04 4:31
3. "She's Gone"  David Boulter, Mark Colwill, Neil Fraser, James Richard Hinchliffe, Alistair Macaulay, StaplesTindersticks (1995 album) 3:44
4. "Dying Slowly"  Boulter, Hinchliffe, StaplesCan Our Love... 4:28
5. "If You're Looking for a Way Out"  Sandy LinzerSimple Pleasure 4:42
6. "Say Goodbye to the City"  Boulter, Colwill, Fraser, Hinchliffe, Macaulay, StaplesWaiting for the Moon 4:42
7. "Sleepy Song"  Boulter, Colwill, Fraser, Hinchliffe, Macaulay, StaplesTindersticks (1995 album) 4:40
8. "A Night In"  Boulter, Colwill, Fraser, Hinchliffe, Macaulay, StaplesTindersticks (1995 album) 6:54
9. "I Know That Loving"  Boulter, Hinchliffe, Macaulay, StaplesSimple Pleasure 6:46
10. "What Are You Fighting For?"  Staples2008 tour-only 7" single 4:10

Personnel

Tindersticks
Additional personnel

References

  1. 1 2 "tindersticks - across six leap years". tindersticks.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "tindersticks - across six leap years". City Slang. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Beaumont, Mark (14 October 2013). "Review: Tindersticks – Across Six Leap Years". NME. London, England: IPC Media. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Across Six Leap Years - Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. Tindersticks – Across Six Leap Years > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Review: Tindersticks – Across Six Leap Years". Mojo (240). London, England: Bauer Media Group. November 2013. p. 86.
  7. 1 2 Neyland, Nick (22 November 2013). "Tindersticks: Across Six Leap Years | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 Kennedy, Jake. "Across Six Leap Years - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Metropolis International. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  9. ↑ Harrison, Phil (3 October 2013). "Tindersticks 'Across Six Leap Years' album review – Buy 'Across Six Leap Years' album – Time Out Music". Time Out London. Time Out. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Review: Tindersticks – Across Six Leap Years". Uncut. London, England: IPC Media. November 2013.
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