Do Not Dare To Dream

As is the case almost every autumn, old favourites treat us to new albums. This is certainly true of the Scottish band Teenage Fanclub with their 13th album. With many of the releases in recent years, I’ve found myself wondering whether they were really necessary. That thought crossed my mind when I first listened to it, but I banished it when I gave the songs a second chance.

The album lacks the highlights of previous releases, but the band still masters the art of songwriting. It’s consistently laid-back guitar pop with flowing guitar riffs and excellent harmonies. All in all, a very fine late-career album from a band that no longer has anything to prove.

Welcome To Earth

 

So they do still exist after all. American all-female bands who have absorbed the music of recent decades and know exactly how to incorporate it perfectly into their songs. The Death Valley Girls are one such band, and today they’re releasing their new album, Welcome To Earth. They have largely left their psych-pop phase behind them, and the seventies meet the eighties, with harmonizing female vocals meeting driving guitars, and right in the middle of it all, a saxophone that winds its way through the sound.

At times, it sounds as though Bananarama are in the studio with a heavy metal band, or as though the B-52’s are having a go at glam rock. All in all, it’s a lovely album that will hopefully be listened to more often.