Jonnie Bloor
1991 was an important year for Teenage Fanclub what with the release of their seminal album Bandwagonesque; in fact it beat a number of other albums such as Nevermind by Nirvana and Loveless by My Bloody Valentine to Spin Magazine’s coveted album of the year top-spot. In the intervening nineteen years Teenage Fanclub have continued to produce records of high quality, such as 1995’s Grand Prix and Songs From Northern Britain in 1997. But what of the Fannies in 2010? Well, they’ve released a record that maintains the Byrds-esque melodies and harmonies that appealed to so many in the first place, and have built on the style they have made their own, through most notably the albums of the mid-90’s.
Shadows is released on the band’s own label, PeMa, and ambles along with ease, akin perhaps to a leisurely stroll through the South Downs – nothing too arduous, but still very pleasing, occasionally coming across something quite wonderful indeed.
The album opens with the track Sometimes I Don’t Need To Believe In Anything. What at first sight may be an ode to nihilism muses the sights and sounds of a journey home following a night on the town against a background of summer sunrises and sunsets. The casual delivery of the vocals, gentle strumming of the guitar and the introduction of a flute create a real sense of the summery vibe in the song. It carries you along quite nicely, and although the cityscape is prevalent in the lyrics, it is easy to picture fields of corn gently blowing in the wind. This feeling of ease, of comfort, pervades throughout the whole record in a way that express the maturity of the band; this is again shown in songs such as Baby Lee, Shock And Awe, and Into The City, with it’s Beach Boys-esque harmonies. All of the tracks here have a melody that harks back to those heady days of the early 90’s, and this is all for a good reason. No Teenage Fanclub fan wants the band to change dramatically, this minor amendment is all that it sought.
Like many-a-band before them the Fannies have opted for dependability and a balance to the equilibrium over changing their sound, or anything radical. That’s not to say this is a stagnant or boring record, far from it. The textures on display are challenging and ultimately satisfying; the subject matter that is covered, and the way the lyrics present them are interesting enough to deserve many listens. Whilst the record may not be as vital as Bandwagonesque, it carries the hallmark of that (and the records that came after it), and will therefore please any Teenage Fanclub fan, new and old alike.
