Track of the Week: Teenage Fanclub: Sparky's Dream (1995)

One of Glasgow's many great pop bands, Teenage Fanclub were borne out of the tail-end of the C86 movement, but showed the ambition and musical chops to move beyond the straight-jacket of that scene. Drawing on The Byrds, The Beach Boys and especially Big Star, the Fannies could easily be accused of being just another retro band grave-robbing the 60s if it weren't for the sheer strength of song-writing shown by Norman Blake, Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley. Few bands are lucky enough to be blessed with three such gifted song-writers. 'Grand Prix' came out in 1995 on Creation at the height of Britpop and showed up most other bands of the genre simply by virtue of its great songs. And Love's 'Sparky's Dream' is one of the best songs on this exceptional album. Kicking off with muted guitar and drums before the whole band come crashing in, it immediately shows a dynamic control at odds with many of their contemporaries. In many ways the song is typical Teenage Fanclub, drawing heavily from Big Star's power pop, but in these guys' hands this is no bad thing. The song is immediately catchy and memorable, with its strong melody and the boys' trademark Beach Boys harmonies over the soaring chorus, but its structure is more complex then it seems at first. The song is tied together quite neatly with an instrumental hook that appears between the first verse and first chorus, and again linking the last two choruses. Its irregular appearance gives the song an unusual shape, putting off the glorious sugar rush of the chorus at crucial points to drag out your expectations before hitting you in the face with exactly what you want to hear. The simple yet melodic guitar solo in the bridge adds to the fun without outstaying its welcome. Love's spaced out lyrics deal, as with so many great pop songs, with the girl who got away. They achieve a touching simplicity without sounding crass or stupid, or having to rely on the Bumper Gallagher Book Of Easy Rhymes (pain/rain, time/Sheeiiine etc.). Interestingly enough, and despite the occasionally erratic nature of some of their output, as the dust settles on the Britpop era, Teenage Fanclub are one of the few bands to have survived entirely on their own terms and with their artistic credibility in tact. It is a tribute to the Fannies that, although they are doing something that many have done many times before, much of their music still manages to sound fresh and vital to this day.