ALBUM REVIEW: Teenage Fanclub, Shadows

After a five year hiatus, the Glaswegian group Teenage Fanclub are back with their second album to be released on their own label. Their latest offering, Shadows, is another collection of meticulously crafted, melodic, gentle, bittersweet guitar pop.

This time around they seem to have adopted a more sombre approach although their trademark melodic style remains intact. The album is full of dreamy charm and mellow doubt: the sound of a group that’s aged remarkably well.

The subject matter throughout the whole album has matured, reflecting the real age of the band members, with topics like marriage and quiet nights.

Tracks like the cheery, Baby Lee, and Back of My Mind are an effortless combination of floating guitar hooks, completely natural harmonies and beautiful strings.

Shock and Awe, is a standout, full of soaring guitar break and The Fall, a meditation on ageing gracefully, as guitars swell into bloom. The beautiful piano work on Dark Clouds is the type of melancholic melody many bands search for their whole career.

Although Teenage Fanclub still play with the old familiar melodies and arrangements, the subtle experimentation they add to the mix shows that they’re not afraid to dip their toes in unfamiliar waters but they are also still growing as musicians.


Tracklisting:

1. Sometimes I Don’t Need To Believe In Anything
2. Baby Lee
3. Fall, The
4. Into the City
5. Dark Clouds
6. Past, The
7. Shock and Awe
8. When I Still Have Thee
9. Live With the Seasons
10. Sweet Days Waiting
11. Back of My Mind, The
12. Today Never Ends