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City Sickness
Pop · 1993

City Sickness

Tindersticks

A rain-slicked portrait of urban malaise. Stuart Staples’ trembling baritone drifts through lush, noirish strings and smoky organ swells.

January 1, 1993 · This Way Up

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City Sickness is the sound of a city exhaling after a long, difficult day. It is an essential entry point into the Tindersticks' world, where the elegance of a chamber orchestra meets the grit of a smoke-filled basement. The title track itself is a masterclass in tension and release, built around Stuart Staples' unmistakable baritone: a voice that sounds like it is being squeezed out of a heavy heart. The music does not just accompany the lyrics; it wraps around them like a heavy wool coat in a cold wind.

Moments Worth Listening For
The way the strings surge upward just as the vocals reach a point of near-collapse
The subtle, wheezing organ that provides a dusty foundation for the elegant violin lines
The moment the drums enter with a slow, deliberate shuffle that grounds the airy arrangement
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does City Sickness sound next to the rest of Tindersticks's catalogue?

Violin+1.0σ

The instrumentation foregrounds violin notably more than the catalogue usually does.

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