REVIEW: Teenage Fanclub, Songs From Northern Britain (Creation/Sony)

- Tim Kennedy

The latest offering from the Glasgow beat combo is certainly no departure from their established reputation for making understated, subtle yet uplifting melodic guitar music.

The last album, 1995's Grand Prix, was many UK critics' choice for album of the year (the year when *that* Oasis album appeared).

Fans of REM, Neil Young and The Byrds will immediately warm to this band, who combine a 'wall of sound' approach with superb timing and a gift for great tunes. They have smoothed off the rough edges that characterised the early material and this CD is the best yet.

The boys appear to have settled down happily with their wives and/or girlfriends and moved house to their beloved Scottish countryside. The sleeve of this CD is various tasteful pictures of odd corners of Scotland. They sing about finding true love, about rediscovering the beauty of their country.

In short they are in a good mood. This CD is a great antidote for depression, although those of a more cynical cast of mind may condemn this as shallow escapism.

They never wrote protest songs in the past, though they often displayed humour. The current crop of tunes will no doubt make many more friends, coming as this CD does on the crest of a wave of guitar pop purveyed by artists often of lesser ability.