SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TRASHCAN SINATRAS – EVER THE OPTIMIST

TRASHCAN SINATRAS
EVER THE OPTIMIST
TCS RECORDINGS

Not only are the Trashcan Sinatras celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, but they are also releasing their first album in ten years. Ever The Optimist is the long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s Wild Pendulum. The Scottish five-piece lineup, which includes Stephen Douglas (drums, vocals), Francis Reader (vocals, acoustic guitar), Paul Livingston (lead guitar), John Douglas (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Davy Hughes (bass), is back and has come up with, arguably, their best album to date. It has been a decade, but it has been worth the wait.

Trashcan Sinatras have always written very melodic pop songs that are instantly accessible and lyrically relatable. And they continue with that trend on Ever The Optimist. Reader’s voice is as smooth as ever and extremely pleasing on the ears. Like The Beatles or Crowded House, Trashcan Sinatras not only embrace pop music but thrive on it. That doesn’t mean the songs don’t say anything, because that is not true. Sure, the music is pop, but they deal with subjects that are on the darker side. They simply cannot help writing and performing perfect little vignettes full of life and tragedy.

SPILL FEATURE: I AM OK WITH BEING OPTIMISTIC – A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN DOUGLAS OF TRASHCAN SINATRAS

Producer Paul Savage of The Delgados has come up with a perfectly sounding album. It is extremely well produced and arranged. The use of orchestration is tasteful and never overwhelming (the arrangement for the song “Rome” recalled Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams”). It all works, and everything comes together. Ever The Optimist is a brilliant and strong album. It is best enjoyed in one sitting and perhaps with headphones. There is a lot going on in every song, and there is a lot to enjoy and discover. The band sounds fresh, and they come together as a strong unit to produce a deep, layered album.

Artist Links