The Indie Anthology 44: essential songs

After all the Primavera Sound stuff dominating the blog, we are back with our regular features, so let's start the week with our Indie Anthology. This time I recover the first steps of a cult band (one of these criminally underrated) that, to me, are intrinsic part of a way of understanding indie-rock along with blog favourites like The National, The Walkmen, or Nick Cave...

Song: Rosemarie
Artist: Asphalt Ribbons
Year: 1991 

Asphalt Ribbons’s were the previous incarnation of Tindersticks and they only released a mini-album, 'Old Horse", before Stuart Staples and colleagues embarked in their amazing, nearly flawless music adventure of more than 20 years now. More guitar based than Tindersticks, it probably echoes 80s jangling pop with an epic tinge, something that in 'Rosemarie' achieves a breathtaking peak. David Boulter's sweeping keyboard opens the tune, which quickly flourishes on a puzzling stomping number where Staples delivers his trademark, mournful vocals (I dream on him and Matt Berninger singing together). Then guitars retire and an incredible cello opens the gates of heaven before Dickon Hinchliffe feeds the beast this song is with his violin. Oh, the gentlemen of indie-rock... keep them coming!