If I were ever to have a bromantic, candle-lit meal with an icon of the 1980s/90s indie music scene then Teenage Fanclub’s bassist Gerard Love would be top of my list. As his beautiful tracks from Teenage Fanclub’s heyday, such as December and Gene Clark, charmed me long ago, his latest release, under the name Lightships, has also successfully wooed me. Blimey, even his name exudes romance.
Lightships is his solo project involving Teenage Fanclub members past and present, including the band’s original drummer Brendan O’Hare, as well as Belle and Sebastian bassist Bob Kildea. What marks it out as such an ear-catching release is the way it unashamedly mirrors so much of what made the Teenage Fanclub of old such a great band. With flutes, glockenspiel and organ added to the traditional drums, bass and guitar the tracks are full of gorgeous melodies and harmonies. It’s got that Teenage Fanclub summery feel that takes me right back to my lazy, early days at university, listening to Bandwagonesque for the first time.
The guitar riffs as well really stand out, simple, rhythmic and beautiful; the kind only a bassist switching to guitar can achieve.
There’s ten tracks here that with the exception of Stretching Out, where O’Hare puts a little more welly into the drums, barely get above dinner date pace. This consistency though is part of the album’s charm. Among the many highlights are the album’s wonderfully catchy first single Sweetness in her Spark, and Silver and Gold, where Love’s vocals shine the brightest above the sixties distortion and twinkling riffs
For this reviewer this is the best, most consistent Teenage Fanclub related album since 1995’s Grand Prix. Gerard, grab your coat, you’ve pulled.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
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