Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones from 1983 builds songs around clanging percussion, prepared piano, and unconventional instruments that sound like they're falling apart. Waits' gravelly vocals tell stories of sailors, soldiers, and small-town characters over rhythms that clatter and wheeze like broken machinery.

Standout Tracks

• Underground: The opening track sets the album's industrial carnival tone with its marching band gone wrong arrangement
• Shore Leave: A sailor's lonely tale told over haunting accordion and Waits' most vulnerable vocal performance
• Frank's Wild Years: The darkly comic story of suburban arson that became one of Waits' most quoted character studies

Mood: late night, theatrical, industrial, storytelling, avant-garde

Tracklist

1. A1. Underground (1:58)
2. A2. Shore Leave (4:12)
3. A3. Dave The Butcher (Instrumental) (2:15)
4. A4. Johnsburg, Illinois (1:30)
5. A5. 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six (4:30)
6. A6. Town With No Cheer (4:22)
7. A7. In The Neighborhood (3:04)
8. B1. Just Another Sucker On The Vine (Instrumental) (1:42)
9. B2. Frank's Wild Years (1:50)
10. B3. Swordfishtrombone (3:00)
11. B4. Down, Down, Down (2:10)
12. B5. Soldier's Things (3:15)
13. B6. Gin Soaked Boy (2:20)
14. B7. Trouble's Braids (1:18)
15. B8. Rainbirds (Instrumental) (3:05)