Trashcan Sinatras have been around for years without even remotely bothering the charts, and you get the impression that's just the way they like it. Their melodic, jangly guitar pop should have seen them as lauded as Teenage Fanclub, but it's somehow not quite turned out like that.
That's not stopped them from releasing a Christmas single though, and it may well be familiar to the more sharp-eared of listeners. Written by the Trashcans guitarist John Douglas, Wild Mountainside was originally recorded by the former Fairground Attraction singer Eddi Reader and she performed it at the opening to the Scottish Parliament in 2004. It's slight, fragile and rather lovely, bringing to mind Prefab Sprout's quieter moments at times. And unlike most 'Christmas' singles, it'll sound just as good in a few months time.
Sadly, 2005 appears to the Christmas for novelty songs with various cartoon characters releasing cover versions and ringtones, and this will probably be lost underneath the rush of garbage. If that did happen, that would be a shame, as Trashcan Sinatras have quietly produced a bit of a gem here.
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