Teenage Fanclub
Bandwagonesque
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NATN Recommended
Teenage Fanclub
Bandwagonesque
Geffen, 1991
RiYL: Gumball, The Posies, Spiritualized, Matthew Sweet, Neil Young |
The album has a dazing, poppy crunch that rides a wave between American "indie rock" and "Brit-pop." A coming-of-age of sorts for Teenage Fanclub, Bandwagonesque found the band legitimizing power-pop for the early '90s. They brought back all that had been great about pop songs in the '60s and '70s (which had been diluted through disco and synth-pop into different aesthetics) and made it sound incredibly in-the-moment.
All four band members contributed songs to the album. With the help of producers Don Fleming and Paul Chisholm, they merged varying ideas into a group of songs similar enough to give off a unique, cohesive sound and feel but not get too repetitive or boring.
Opening track "The Concept" expounds on its thought-provoking but simple themes ("said she won't be judged against her will/says she don't do drugs but she does the pill.") for six minutes of crunchy major chord progression bliss, replete with Jim Page's old bow-on-the-guitar-string trick as an intro to the last solo.
Then, after the disjointed buildup and heavy metal riffing of "Satan," comes probably the most obvious pop single from the mix, "December," a love song with a tone conveying warmth in the winter month of its title.
The spacey, exquisite "Alcoholiday," a wonderfully harmonic ode to premature ejaculation ("went to bed, but I'm not ready/maybe I've been fucked already") provides the album with its climax, after which it slides gracefully toward its end via the sentimental ballad "Guiding Star" and the closing instrumental track, "Is This Music?"
A solid introduction to the Teenage Fanclub catalogue, Bandwagonesque made a musical statement that was picked up by a lot of bands in the early '90s. Not all the great rock hooks are taken, and even for ones that are, new textures and attitudes can do a lot to revive interest. Those who like Sonic Youth and the Hollies can figure out a way to compromise, and educate a new generation of listeners with the result.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.