Using good music to make good music

Tindersticks, a six piece big band with an intimate sound, has created a beautiful album with Waiting for the Moon, its sixth studio LP. And it is enjoyable to listen to despite its lack of originality. Tindersticks play a sound derived, clearly, from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but somehow it works. Cave, the reigning king of underground music (at least as far as this reviewer is concerned), specializes in morbid lounge ballads that are beyond astounding.\nTindersticks has taken Nick Cave's sound, his concept as it were, and -- to be honest -- dumbed it down a little, making it slightly more accessible. Waiting for the Moon is easy to listen to; the music on "4.48 Psychosis" is reminiscent of The Doors, while the title track is more like Nick Cave's Murder Ballads. The songs all sound a little apocalyptic, endearing the album to the listener, appealing to his sense of simplicity and desperation. The album seems to come straight out of the Midwest; one can see the corn fields on one end of the highway and the city on the other. Tindersticks strike a balance between the simple and the fantastic, and despite their derivative sound, have created a lovely little album.