Teenage Fanclub – A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub

Though on occasion they’ve been justly recognized as Scotland’s greatest power-pop band, it’s arguable that few—aside from their critics and musical peers—have fully recognized the consistent excellence of Teenage Fanclub. Culling standout moments from the band’s six studio albums and condensing them into a surprisingly impressive 21-song set, Short Cut documents Fanclub’s rise from pre-grunge rock to the increasingly complex sonic ambition of its later material. As first-rate tunesmiths, Gerald Love, Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley are presented as sadly overlooked pop classicists who seamlessly layer harmonies over rich, jangly guitar-pop, straightforward sentiments and soaring melodies. This survey correctly places the band in line with The Beach Boys, The Byrds and Big Star (Fanclub’s pristine yet earthy arrangements usually came closer to Americana than Brit-pop). No doubt, quibbling over the proper track list—given the relative shortage of actual chart hits—will rankle some hardcore fans, as some records are sorely underrepresented. But for the neophyte, it’s hard to imagine a more convincing argument for the band’s impeccable and relentlessly tuneful songcraft. To be sure, the character of each individual album is somewhat lost, but this allows Fanclub to more clearly emerge as a first-rate singles-band.