Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Damian Robinson discovers the solid but somewhat lacking new album from Teenage Fanclub
Merge Records
Released: 09.10.26
Image by Donald Milne
Aligning to Ridley Scott, Norman Blake seems to be more prolific than ever as he enters his seventh full decade on the planet; creating as much art as possible seemingly being his raison d’etre.
Following the Fannies’ 2023 Nothing Lasts Forever and last year’s side-project Butler, Blake & Grant, Blake and (day job) co. return with Teenage Fanclub’s 13th full album. Opening with There Was You, a playful, folksy, upbeat song about how magical surprises can interrupt predetermined lives, Do Not Dare To Dream gets off to the sort of start that, somewhat unfortunately, could summarise the album’s title. While it’s a solid album (Tomorrow People and I Do Not Dare To Dream stand out), the album ultimately fails in that it doesn’t hit previous Fannies highs – lacking the album-wide consistency of a Howdy! or the pop-kicking tune of a Sparky’s Dream.
Workmanlike and solid, it’s always nice to hear new material, but this is a Gladiator 2 rather than an Alien. The good news though is that there’s likely to be more new tunes from Blake soon – and we’ll look forward to that.
