Artist – Album: Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix
Released: 29th
May 1995
Sounds Like: Sun soaked genius
When the Fannies (yep, that's their unfortunate nickname...) are on top form there really is no one
better. No, not even Oasis, despite Liam Gallagher’s infamous backdoor brag
that Teenage Fanclub were “the second
best band in the world”. In truth, the only problem for those who want to
delve into their back catalogue is trying to sort the glorious from the WTF-able.
Well, I’ll make it clear – Bandwagonesque, Thirteen, Songs from Northern
Britain and today’s album Grand Prix are bloody good, and you may as well avoid
the rest.
Their music is a sparkling synthesis of the west coast
harmonies of the Beach Boys, the jangly pop of The Byrds, the power melodies of
Big Star and the alternative indie mentality of the best nineties bands. But
better. Probably.
Whereas Bandwagonesque is generally perceived to be the high
water mark of their almost 25 year career, Grand Prix lags not far behind, and,
whilst it slightly lacks the former album’s giddy energy, it’s certainly the more
consistent of the two.
The sunny power pop of the likes of ‘About You’, ‘Sparky’s Dream’, ‘I’ll
Make It Clear’, ‘Discolite’ and set highlight ‘Don’t Look Back’ are counterpointed fantastically by the gorgeous
slow acoustic songs of ‘Mellow Doubt’, ‘Going
Places’ and ‘I Gotta Know’. The
only dud note is the loud/soft-dynamics-gone-mad of ‘Hardcore/Ballad’ and, by the time you’ve got to that final track, it’s
already too late – you’re hooked.
Albumaday... rating:
8/10
1. About
You – 2:41
2. Sparky’s
Dream – 3:17
3. Mellow
Doubt – 2:42
4. Don’t
Look Back – 3:43
5. Verisimilitude
– 3:31
6. Neil
Jung – 4:48
7. Tears
– 2:43
8. Discolite
– 3:07
9. Say
No – 3:12
10. Going
Places – 4:28
11. I’ll
Make It Clear – 2:33
12. I
Gotta Know – 3:27
13. Hardcore/Ballad
– 1:48
Listen to ‘Discolite’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4GDA9WdBXg
Also released on the 29th May:
2000: Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump
|
Also released on the 29th May:
2009: Paolo Nutini – Sunny Side Up
|
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