Teenage Fanclub

When Teenage Fanclub released their retrospective Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds, some feared that it meant the end of what is probably the most consistent band Scotland has ever produced. Fortunately, the band themselves put a stop to that rumour and though it took a couple of years, they’ve just released their seventh album. Man-Made continues on quite nicely from the new songs on the afore-mentioned compilation and finds all three songwriters — Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley and Gerald Love — at the top of their respective games. It also finds them reuniting with original drummer Francis MacDonald and recording in Chicago with their pal John McEntire of Tortoise. This is a strangely-paced record, starting off with its mellowest, less immediate moments before really getting going at its mid-point — but it works. McEntire’s production is remarkably light-handed, yet his presence is a welcome one because it gives Man-Made the focus that Howdy! sorely lacked; he still keeps the rougher edges that have long been polished off since the band’s early days. Man-Made pays homage to the Teenage Fanclub of the past while hinting at what lies ahead — there are some of those precious echoes of Big Star that we all, quite frankly, miss a lot but the band continue to grow 15 years into their career and have just made their best album in some time. If only all bands could mature this beautifully.