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Working for the Man
Singer-Songwriter · 2004 · 1 track

Working for the Man

Tindersticks

A curated journey through rain-slicked streets and orchestral heartache. Stuart Staples’ smoky baritone anchors a world of lush strings and late-night urban noir.

May 4, 2004 · Koch Records

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Working for the Man is a masterclass in atmospheric songwriting, capturing the Tindersticks at the height of their powers during the 1990s. The album feels like a sequence of short films, each one set in a different corner of a rain-streaked city after midnight. Stuart Staples' vocals are the centerpiece: a rich, trembling baritone that sounds as though it has been weathered by years of cheap gin and expensive regrets. It is a voice that shouldn't work with grand orchestral backing, yet the friction between his fragile delivery and the band's lush, cinematic arrangements creates a unique kind of tension that few other artists have ever replicated.

Tracklist · 1 Track
08
Another Night In
4:59
Moments Worth Listening For
the way the strings in City Sickness mimic the frantic pulse of urban anxiety
the fragile vocal interplay during the bridge of Traveling Light
the slow-motion collapse of the rhythm section at the end of Tiny Tears
the moment the brass section finally breaks through the gloom in Jumble Jumble
Reviews
BBC Music
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AllMusic
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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 Working for the Man 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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