Dogged comparisons to The Smiths have nipped at the heels of Trashcan Sinatras since the release of their first album, 1990's Cake. Such comparisons were frequently unfair, though, as Trashcan Sinatras lacked the noted urgency of a Johnny Marr and the lyrical irony of a Morrissey. (This, however, didn't stop the band from performing a Smiths' tune, "I Know It's Over," for the 1996 compilation, The Smiths Is Dead, which was released by the French magazine, Les Inrockuptibles.)Regardless, Trashcan Sinatras -- who are more in line with acts such as fellow countrymen Travis -- have enjoyed a rather successful career (spats with the NME aside), emerging in the 1990s as one of the leading adult alternative pop acts in the U.K.
After following up two renowned first albums with the haphazard -- both for its songwriting and production -- A Happy Pocket, the Glasgow fivesome got back on track with 2004's Weightlifting. Filled with both uplifting, uptempo numbers and tracks of reflective melancholy, the album harkened back to the group's earlier, stronger days.
Hear it for yourself. Download: "Got Carried Away" by Trashcan Sinatras.
