Tindersticks: Bareback

　　After a year or so of rumors and false alarms, the long-awaited Tindersticks DVD is finally here. Indeed, it was worth the wait but I wish it was longer.
　　What Bareback consists of is nine songs framed by films shot by Martin Wallace. Some of the films seem germane to the songs and some seem so generic that you could put almost any song with them. However, the songs on Bareback are a well-chosen sampler of the Tindersticks catalogue except for the final instrumental which is just silly in combination with the film footage.

　　My favorites are City Sickness, Travelling Light, Bathtime; which is the only song that features a film of the band playing, Rented Rooms, which midway through breaks into the gorgeous swing version, and Can We Start Again?. Though I like the rest of the DVD, my bias is clearly with earlier Tindersticks material up through their "Curtains" period.
　　You can't beat the price, but I drop a star because of the brevity of the DVD and the lack of informative liner notes. That latter is a problem with their CDs in general and I think it would help fans in the colonies get to know the band better if more information was provided with the music. Other than that minor complaint, Bareback receives my hearty endorsement.