James Baumann
Reviews: October, 2003

Following article 6, subsection 9, paragraph 7 of the indie-rock reviewers' code I am obligated to mention that, in 1991, Spin magazine named Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque the album over the year over an offering by some band called Nirvana. I don't mean to defend that decision nor do I mock it. I merely state the fact. But it is worth reviewing and pointing out that it was the band that offered harsh, slashing music and angry, vicious lyrics that saturated the airwaves and sold millions of units while the lush, harmonious collection of songwriters took their Spin goody-bag and headed back to Glasgow. Turns out it was teenage angst, and not Teenage Fanclub that paid off well.

Listening to this "shortcut" collection the question remains why both bands couldn't have been widely popular. After all, Mr. Cobain himself declared the Fannies "the best band in the world." And when listening to "Everything Flows" from the band's 1990 debut A Catholic Education one can hear the musical camaraderie. Yet as the bands (and radio station playlists) got louder, Teenage Fanclub delved deeper into the pop roots, dripping Big Star influences, and then later even added some Byrds-ian twang.

Because this album is not sequenced chronologically, all these changes are mixed together even more. All the albums are fairly equally represented (though I thought they could have found at least one more track from the, I feel, underrated Thirteen album) so listeners get tastes of everything that makes Teenage Fanclub special. There's the "ba ba ba ba's" of "I Need Direction," the distortion of "The Concept," the wistful "Mellow Doubt" and the rock of "Sparky's Love" and "Star Sign."

The disc includes three new songs ("Empty Space" "The World Will Be OK" and "Did I Say"), showing the band is on the same pop course, perhaps with a bit more focus on harmonious voices rather than guitars. They are plenty of reason for longtime fans to pick up this new collection. And the other 18 tracks are a must for anyone who cares a lick about guitar-based pop in all its glory.

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The Tyde
Twice

(Rough Trade)

www.thetyde.com

What would happen if the guys in Beachwood Sparks listened to less Grateful Dead and more of the Byrds and Beach Boys? They'd form a side project and call it The Tyde, apparently. I didn't discover this disc until the thermometer mercury started to dip a bit, but it's summer time any time you drop this disc into your player. There's nothing overly flashy on the record. Instead, the retro-charm comes from solid, crisp songwriting, floating vocals, chimey guitars, and a dead-solid backbeat (courtesy of Ric Menck, who is a guaranteed seal of quality all by himself).

"Best Intentions" shows that the Beachwood Sparks connection hasn't completely given up the trippy vibes, but they are the exception on this record. "Henry VIII" is infectious while "Crystal Canyons" bounces along like music that could come from the coolest (and fastest) merry-go-round imagined while "Shortboard City" is an obvious homage to the striped-shirt era Wilson family. "A Loner" is reminiscent of the songs on Teenage Fanclub's "Howdy." And "Go Ask Yer Dad" is prototypical fuzzy pop.

The album's sleeper track, "Blood Brother," comes in near the end. An ode to the fellowship of the road, Darren Rademaker distorts his voice and promises that "if you want to know what it feels like to be a man, try spending 25 years in a band, and then you'll be a kind of brother to me, and I'll be a brother to you." By the time he reaches the bridge the listener is completely hooked, ready to load up the van and sing along all the way.

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Soundtrak
Soundtrak

(Ace Fu)

www.acefu.com

If the "New York Sound Revival" bandwagon was a bit more interested in melodies, then Soundtrak might make a few more magazine covers. Angular guitar parts, a full drum sound, and soaring vocals all come together in a smartly wrapped package. The songs are all delivered with an earnestness that comes right up to the line of over-the-top theatrics without crossing it, which is probably where the band has earned its U2 comparisons. I could also certainly imagine tracks like "Let Go" winning over fans of All That Is Left To Lose. Other songs, such as "Available Memory" and "Curtains" might be a bit too arty for the mass appeal, but they go a long way towards making this six-track EP a sign of good things to follow.

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Grand Champeen
The One That Brought You

(Glurp Records)

www.grandchampeen.com

The spirit of Minneapolis, circa 1985-1990, is alive and well and living in Austin, Texas, in the form of Grand Champeen. On their first two releases, and in their stellar live show, the band has proved that they have the rock chops, cranking out blistering tunes. The volume still goes to 10, but with their pivotal third disc the band has taken things up a notch across the board in terms of playing and songwriting. While it is still early to tell, this just might prove to be their Let It Be; and I mean that in a Replacements start-of-something-big way, and not a Beatles I'd-like-you-to-meet-Phil-Spector way.

For me, the track that really signals this change is "Bottle Glass." While loud and fast have usually been the band's rule, this song does more with less. The bass line leads the melody and the guitar chords are simply strummed once at the changes, rather than being thrashed. An excellent guitar solo leaves spaces between the notes, and the vocals come together nicely to express the barroom philosophy. It's the sound of a confident band.

More evidence comes with "Memory Loss / Throwing Rice," a track that starts off exactly like it came from Soul Asylum's *Hang Time* record. That's a good thing, even if it's not their most original. What sets it apart, though, is with 1:45 left when it segues into a more rollicking number that is all their own.

There's a lot more to like here. The opener, "The Good Slot," announces the band's presence with authority before "The Rest of the Night" settles into a Stones-ish honky-tonk groove. "Matilda's Lament" is old-school punk and the rock keeps on coming in the form of songs like "Fakin' It" and "Paid Vacation" that prove that the sound of dueling Telecasters and Gibsons are best when turned up loud.

My only complaint with this disc would be a couple production choices. I understand they were probably trying to keep it raw, but there are a lot of clever things going on in the songs that I'd like to hear more cleanly. Perhaps the most egregious example is on "One and Only" where Channing Lewis's vocals sound like they are coming through blown-out speakers even as he sings great lines like, "you'll be the Alex Chilton to my Chris Bell."

Like Soul Asylum, Grand Champeen has not yet completely caught on disc the lightning in a bottle that is their live show. But until the boys make their way back across the Midwest, "The One that Brought You" will be an excellent substitute and one that I will likely be taking to my end-of-year "best of" list.

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