Teenage Fanclub
Thirteen
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Teenage Fanclub
Thirteen
Geffen, 1993
RiYL: The Posies, Neil Young, Lemonheads, Velo-Deluxe |
A thorough listen to the album will reveal that Teenage Fanclub still does have loads of talent. It just isn't put to its best use on the band's third record. While songs like opener "Hang On," "Fear Of Flying," and "Gene Clark" are effective showcases of the rugged, superior pop the band has become known for, Thirteen lacks a creative center and pales when placed in a lineup with the Fanclub's other records.
The U.S. edition of the CD has six bonus tracks, making the album a disordered set of tunes very trying to listen to all the way through.
After Thirteen, drummer Brendan O'Hare split from the band, reportedly due to differences that surfaced during the making of the album. One can sense the band coming apart in the disparity between songs. With all instrumentalists functioning as songwriters, Teenage Fanclub has always had to solve the problem of making many different songwriting styles fit into a consistent sound. On Thirteen, they don't do it well. Though most of the record's tunes are decent enough on their own, the incongruity between songs doesn't provide for a pleasant listening experience.
But this is not to say that the album isn't worth owning. A common problem with power-pop bands is presenting fresh melodies and harmonic styles, while pop vocal music has a longer history than rock and roll. But there are plenty of fresh tunes on Thirteen.
"Fear Of Flying" bounces on Blake's bassline like it was skimming over clouds. The bridge has one of the most graceful uses of the f-word in recorded music ("This is your one way ticket, so don't fuck it up"). And at the warning whistle, shouted vocals vault the hook even higher.
"Gene Clark" is one of Teenage Fanclub's best moments on record. As the intended closer, it saves Thirteen from mediocrity, drawing out the Neil Young-style intro for three and a half minutes before the band hits a perfectly unexpected G chord and sends the stable groove off in another direction. They ride the classic progression to its natural point of wear and fade out. Delicious.
But then, the CD kicks back into six more tunes, almost another half album's worth. None of them return in any way to the majesty of "Gene Clark," nor do any even seem like it was worth their while to be on the record at all. Sure, they were intended as b-sides, but their inclusion really turns the record into a sub-par collection.
Fans of Teenage Fanclub surely own this record, but if you're looking for an introduction to the band, they've had better efforts.
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.