It’s dead easy to list the most obvious influences of Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub. He’s read them so often, founding band member Norman Blake can rattle them off at the drop of a tam: Big Star, Byrds, Beach Boys. Pigeonholing the Fanclub’s melodic-yet-rocking sound becomes a little more dicey. Though most of the cornerstones of power pop—Posies, Flamin’ Groovies, Matthew Sweet, Velvet Crush, Tommy Keene, Alex Chilton—don’t think much of the label, it seems to be the only one that’s stuck. If they keep this up for another five years or so, Teenage Fanclub, which opened for business in the mid-’80s when Blake met fellow Scots Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love, might surpass the Groovies for career longevity, a career award that usually precedes only the obit in a band’s publicity dossier. And yet, the group’s new album, Shadows (Merge), is as vital as anything TFC has ever cut, adding fuel to the proposition that some artists come up with their best work after turning 40. Blake and Love will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with Blake.
Norman: Snowgoose hail from Glasgow and have just completed work on their new album. It’s a really fantastic listen, and I suggest that you follow the link above if you know what’s good for you. There are a couple of Teenage Fanclub connections here, which I’ll own up to now. Dave McGowan, keyboards/guitars/bells/whistles (you get the picture), is bass player for Snowgoose and has written a number of the songs which appear on the record. The album was recorded and mixed by our very own Raymond McGinley. Alongside Dave, the band features Jim McCulloch, whom many of you may know from Isobel Campbell’s touring band, and Anna Sheard, a fine, fine singer from Engerland. They have many great songs. A good place to start would be “Harmony Springs.”
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOLnCR9V8nw
