Teenage Fanclub - Endless Arcade
A bright return from the indie evergreens...
For about three decades now, Glasgow’s own Teenage Fanclub have been a dependable force in the indie pop universe. Driven forwards by three incredible songwriters, the band seemed to weather everyone that was thrown at them – from the tornado that was Creation Records onwards into the 21st century.
But change comes for us all, eventually. A shift in line up finds Teenage Fanclub embarking on subtle evolution on new album ‘Endless Arcade’, their first with Euros Childs as a full member. It’s the sound of a group locating a quiet sense of renewal, probing for fresh inspiration and – for the large part – finding it.
Opener ‘Home’ sets the tone, a resolute group performance that finds space for each member. There’s always been a democracy to Teenage Fanclub’s songwriting, and here the warm Stax organ sound is allowed to extend into a seven minute jam courtesy of some gnarly lead guitar playing.
The rest is a display of precision, however. ‘Endless Arcade’ is a neat, Deram ’67 style psych-pop outburst, while ‘Warm Embrace’ is exactly that. The gentle, Tom Verlaine esque guitars that open ‘Everything Is Falling Apart’ have a pensive, anxious quality, while the warped wah wah effect on the ‘In Our Dreams’ intro nods towards the heaviness of ‘Bandwagonesque’.
In turn, ‘Back In The Day’ is more straight-forwardly reflective, offering an Autumnal palette in both tone and lyric. ‘Living With You’ patches a preening Lou Reed stomp against feelings of uncertainty, with the band remaining endearingly open and lyrically precise about their innermost feelings. Ending with the crisp, plangent chords ‘Silent Song’ – a frosted reminiscence of Galaxie 500 in places – it’s an enriching song cycle, one that points to avenues unexplored and possibilities new.
The sound of a band pushing forwards, ‘Endless Arcade’ points to a bright future for a much-loved institution.
*8/10 *
Words: *Robin Murray *
- - -
- - -
Join us on the ad-free creative social network Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots.
Get backstage sneak peeks, exclusive content and access to Clash Live events and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.
*Buy Clash Magazine*
