Odds and Ends
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows Preview
Featuring: Teenage Fanclub
Written by: Dan Osmolowski
Published: May 5th '10
One of the most revered of indie rock’s under-appreciated bands, Teenage Fanclub, is set to release only its second album proper in 10 years. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since their debut record, the noisy A Catholic Education and listening to Shadows it’s clear that these Scots are not in their early twenties anymore. As refined and mature as they have ever sounded, Shadows still has its fair share of memorable melodies for fans to salivate over.
‘Sometimes I Don’t Need To Believe In Anything’ - Insistent and metronomic, the album opener chugs along before bursting at the seems with the swelling strings of the chorus.
‘Baby Lee’ - The album highlight without doubt. This is vintage Teenage Fanclub; Byrds-ian guitars and a euphoric melody. This one will be stuck in your head for days.
‘The Fall’ - Mid-tempo strumming and snappy drums, one of the albums most under-stated numbers.
‘Into The City’ - Up-beat, multi-tracked 60s psychedelia. Picks the album up with some simple harmonies and wide-eyed lyricism.
‘Dark Clouds’ - One of the band’s finest ballads; driven by plaintive piano and Love, Blake and McGinley’s beautiful harmonising. Intensely melancholic but doggedly optimistic.
‘The Past’ - Almost a companion piece to ‘The Fall’. Not much new or exciting about this one, unfortunately.
‘Shock And Awe’ - Complemented by some yearning strings and intersected by a nice lead guitar break, its back to the jangle that these Scots know best.
‘When I Still Have Thee’ - Another highlight, this is plainly joyous pop. Name dropping The Rolling Stones and The Go-Betweens, it skirts corniness and puts a wide smile on the face.
‘Live With The Seasons’ - A tome to the beauty of nature, this is one slow-paced track that wouldn’t have been a twinkle in the band’s eye, circa 1990.
‘Sweet Days Waiting’ - 60s ballroom nostalgia with some nice lyricism. The simplest of songs at the slowest of paces.
‘The Back Of My Mind’ - In the year of the great Alex Chilton’s passing, this one sounds like it has come courtesy of Gram Parsons via Big Star.
‘Today Never Ends’ - A typical album closer that comes and goes without major event. A b-side at best; languid and dull.
