''Falling Down a Mountain'' is the eighth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English rock band

Tindersticks Tindersticks are an English alternative rock band formed in Nottingham in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples embarked on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006 and more permanently the following year. Th ...

, released in 2010 on 4AD/ Constellation Records. The album peaked at number two in Greece, and achieved modest chart placings in other European countries.

Critical reception

The album was released to generally positive reviews. ''

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

'' felt that Tindersticks have "created a record that certainly rivals, if not betters any of its three predecessors from the past decade". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' summed up the record by saying "it leaves a very hazy, almost spectral impression when it ends. But it's also warm and in some ways comforting, and it improves the more you listen to it and tease out the details in the songs."

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

described the album as "the sound of a band rediscovering themselves" and ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'' had a similar view, saying Tindersticks sounded like "a band with restored self-belief, again loving doing what they do better than anyone else".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said "''Falling Down a Mountain'' isn't exactly a major reinvention, but it does back up the golden-hued sky gracing its cover with some of their most upbeat and optimistic songs to date". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' was more measured, describing the album as "a dislocated creature" but "the moments of oddness whetted our palette for more." ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' was equally unimpressed, calling it "the sound of Tindersticks going through the motions". In 2011 it was awarded a silver certification from the

Independent Music Companies Association The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda a ...

which indicated sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by

Stuart Staples Stuart Ashton Staples (born 14 November 1965 in Basford, Nottinghamshire)McKibbin, Tony (2009)Profile - Stuart Staples (Tindersticks), '' The List'', 9 July 2009, retrieved 2011-01-21 is an English musician best known as the lead singer of indie ...

except where indicated. #"Falling Down a Mountain" – 6:33 #"Keep You Beautiful" – 3:23 #"Harmony Around My Table" – 5:06 #"Peanuts" (with

Mary Margaret O'Hara Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and composer. She is best known for the album ''Miss America'', released in 1988. She released two albums and an EP under her own name, and remains active as a live performer, as a con ...

) – 4:37 #"She Rode Me Down" – 3:18 #"Hubbards Hills" (Dan McKinna) – 3:04 #"Black Smoke" – 3:43 #"No Place So Alone" – 3:12 #"Factory Girls" – 5:55 #"Piano Music" – 5:46

Personnel

– lead vocals, acoustic guitar *David Boulter – keyboards, percussion *Neil Fraser – guitar *Dan McKinna – bass, vocals *

Terry Edwards Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards. Biography Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding me ...

– trumpet *Earl Harvin – drums *

David Kitt David Kitt (born 1975 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician. He has released eight studio albums to date: ''Small Moments'', ''The Big Romance'', ''Square 1'', ''The Black and Red Notebook'', '' Not Fade Away'', ''The Nightsaver'', ''Yous'', ...

– guitar, vocals

Charts

References

2010 albums Tindersticks albums {{2010s-rock-album-stub