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 not completed in time.[1]
Reviews for Across Six Leap Years were mixed, with several reviewers questioning 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]
Stuart A. Staples – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
Additional personnel
Natalia Bonner – violin
Harry Brown – trombone on "A Night In" and "I Know That Loving"
Charlie Cross – viola
Calina de la Mare – violin on "She's Gone"
Alison Dods – violin
Terry Edwards – trumpet on "Marseilles Sunshine", "Dying Slowly", "Say Goodbye to the City" and "Sleepy Song"; baritone saxophone on "Say Goodbye to the City"
