THE TRASH CAN SINATRAS - Ever The Optimist

A perhaps unexpected return, and a grand one, for the Scottish band. A full ten years on from its predecessor, "Ever The Optimist" sounds both like an accessible record for newcomers to their music and a fine gift for longtime fans – fans of that "Cake", one of the finest jangle-pop records ever made, containing perhaps the genre's single greatest song, "Obscurity Knocks".
Comparisons with that record would be pointless, 36 years on from its release, but it certainly sends a shiver down the spine to find traces of that same spirit here (the engaging ballad "Birds I Couldn't Identify") and, at times, even the same sparkle (the title track, and the Camera Obscura-esque "Bad Husband", which indeed features Tracyanne Campbell on second vocals).

Admittedly some tracks fall a little short melodically, or follow an all-too-safe and linear path (the more radio-friendly Teenage Fanclub tendencies of "The Bitter End"), but tracks like "Melodramatic" and "The View From Nowhere" are reassuring proof of the band's ability to still sound essentially like themselves after all this time.
At the same time, there's a clear will to break out of their usual audience's boundaries into a more radio-friendly sound and songwriting, thanks in part to the production of Paul Savage, who has worked with Mogwai and, indeed, Teenage Fanclub; the duets with Campbell and Green Gartside (Scritti Politti) also hint – along with a more eye-catching presentation of the album than in the past, complete with numerous accompanying videos – at a perhaps somewhat different status for this release.

Sadly, last August 3rd, just four days after the album's release, the band announced the passing, following a brief illness, of guitarist, singer and songwriter John Douglas. At the moment it's unclear whether this tragic event will mark the end of the band; certainly, "Ever The Optimist" now carries the weight of Douglas's artistic testament.

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23/08/2026