Biography
Formed in 1986 just beyond Glasgow, the Scottish indie pop group the Trash Can Sinatras brought together singer and guitarist Frank Reader—brother of former Fairground Attraction vocalist Eddi Reader—alongside guitarists John Douglas and Paul Livingston, bassist George McDaid, and drummer Stephen Douglas. Beginning life as a cover outfit, the quintet caught the ear of Go! Discs A&R man Simon Dine during a bar performance, leading to the early-1990 release of their debut single “Obscurity Knocks,” whose ringing guitar lines echoed the style of earlier Scottish acts Aztec Camera, Orange Juice, and Josef K.
A follow-up 45, “Only Tongue Can Tell,” paved the way for their first album, Cake, which earned favorable notices in both Britain and the United States, where college stations embraced it warmly. McDaid departed in 1992 and David Hughes stepped in on bass; by the time the band delivered their second album, I’ve Seen Everything, in 1993, the rise of grunge had undercut their commercial prospects, and their 1996 set A Happy Pocket went without an American release. The standalone single “Snow” surfaced in late 1999.
A full-scale comeback arrived in 2004 via the spinART-issued Weightlifting and an extensive world tour that rekindled enthusiasm among longtime listeners while attracting fresh admirers through the group’s signature melodic warmth. The following year they issued Fez, a limited live set captured during an acoustic evening at New York’s Fez club.
After a quiet period the musicians regrouped in late 2007 to cut new material; the resulting In the Music appeared on Lo-Five in summer 2009, featuring backing vocals from Carly Simon on one track. That same year saw the live album Brel, while plans for a box set compiling their Fontana-era releases together with Weightlifting and extra cuts ultimately fell through. The band resumed road work in 2010, launching the trek with an intimate show in a supporter’s Portland living room.
In 2014 they returned to the studio to record their sixth album, assisted by producer Mike Mogis and longtime associate Simon Dine, who supplied sonic textures. Backed by a successful PledgeMusic campaign, Wild Pendulum reached stores in May 2016, after which the group embarked on another round of American dates.
A follow-up 45, “Only Tongue Can Tell,” paved the way for their first album, Cake, which earned favorable notices in both Britain and the United States, where college stations embraced it warmly. McDaid departed in 1992 and David Hughes stepped in on bass; by the time the band delivered their second album, I’ve Seen Everything, in 1993, the rise of grunge had undercut their commercial prospects, and their 1996 set A Happy Pocket went without an American release. The standalone single “Snow” surfaced in late 1999.
A full-scale comeback arrived in 2004 via the spinART-issued Weightlifting and an extensive world tour that rekindled enthusiasm among longtime listeners while attracting fresh admirers through the group’s signature melodic warmth. The following year they issued Fez, a limited live set captured during an acoustic evening at New York’s Fez club.
After a quiet period the musicians regrouped in late 2007 to cut new material; the resulting In the Music appeared on Lo-Five in summer 2009, featuring backing vocals from Carly Simon on one track. That same year saw the live album Brel, while plans for a box set compiling their Fontana-era releases together with Weightlifting and extra cuts ultimately fell through. The band resumed road work in 2010, launching the trek with an intimate show in a supporter’s Portland living room.
In 2014 they returned to the studio to record their sixth album, assisted by producer Mike Mogis and longtime associate Simon Dine, who supplied sonic textures. Backed by a successful PledgeMusic campaign, Wild Pendulum reached stores in May 2016, after which the group embarked on another round of American dates.
Albums
