Bandwagonesque

Pretty good, I’ve definitely become a lot more familiar with britpop with all the albums on the list.

fun

7/10 - It had some decent production. I thought it was enjoyable but nothing insanely good.

Coming across an album that’s right up my alley that I’ve never heard of before doesn’t happen that much anymore. Loved this album, thank you list

I rather enjoy this record and have taken a shine to this band in general

Teenage Fanclub dares to ask “what if Big Star had shoegaze guitar tones” and does it near flawlessly. Power pop of the highest order with slacker lyrics and vibes. These guys walked so Blur and Oasis could run, but there’s something about these songs that feels totally outside of time. Some of the tunes can hang around a bit too long for sure. There’s some tunes that feel a bit like filler when we could have made a perfect 10 song record. But songs like “The Concept”, “December”, “What You Do To Me”, “Star Sign”, “Alcoholiday” and the shoegaze perfection of “Is This Music?” are triumphs. Maybe not for everyone but this was a delight to listen to the first time. 4/5.

I loved this album as a college student in 1991. I was a DJ at WVGS, Georgia Southern, and this CD was in a stack of new releases, I gave it a listen and feel in love with the album. This album kicked off my love of alternative British bands.

Feels like Arcade Fire, but good!

Quality album.

An infectious, melody-led, light-rock pop album sometimes akin to R.E.M., Bends-era Radiohead, or Big Star. Easy, standard, but oh so catchy.

Didn't get enough listen time, but fairly solid from what I gleaned

idk i really like this

Wish I would have heard this when I was 18.

Nice alternative music

Rating: 8/10 Surprisingly great indie rock, very catchy and fun to listen to.

So 90s

Catchy fun

Great sound. Like a 90s band studied 60s soft rock, maybe the Who or the Byrds maybe, and brought it into the 90s. I feel like this was overshadowed by the grunge rock of the time. Holds up well for a more chill, four man folkish rock band

Pretty seminal alternative rock album of the 90s

Really, really great sound. Some sweet shredding on The Concept and Is This Music? Especially loved the proto-Wilco vibes on Alcoholiday. ✅✅✅✅ Alcoholiday ✅✅ Is This Music?

I liked it

Didn’t expect much from this. I only know Teenage Fanclub from the fantastic Everything Flows (which isn’t on here), but I thought this was a very solid experience. 3.8/5

Is This Music? The final track of the album asks. Well, yes, it is, by pretty much any standard. While I can't quite understand the accolades it received (better than Nevermind or Out Of Time? that's a hard sell), I do think this is one of the better alternative rock albums this list has thrown our way. The grittiness of the guitars and the smooth vocal hooks proved an interesting contrast and songwriting was tight enough. But the album doesn't feel captivating enough to consider it a masterpiece.

It’s like proto Weezer mixed with Phish in the best way possible way. I loved it

I never travel far, without a 90s Big Star

Wel echt nog coole plaat en ga ik vaker luisteren

A warm blend of jangly guitars and gentle harmonies. It feels like power-pop filtered through a layer of fuzz. Hints of Big Star linger in the melodies, echoing that bittersweet brightness. The lyrics are simple but stick just enough, quietly connecting. It’s catchy, but not in a way that tries too hard. Each track rolls into the next, like flipping through a well-worn photo album.

This is one of those "All we do is write catchy pop songs" albums (and that's a good thing). They remind me of Big Star, Cheap Trick, Paul Westerberg, etc. This was a pretty good collection of tunes!

Classic garage rock, Teenage Fanclub has a good sound. Not too grungy, not too heavy, not too Dinosaur Jr., it's a sound that I enjoyed throughout. The Concept and What You Do To Me are awesome songs that I still hear on indie stations today and it certainly feels influential. I also liked December and Sidewinder. The album does suffer a little from being a little too samesy, but it's a solid sound they locked into.

The Concept is a monster song.

Very enjoyable and albums like these are precisely why I like this project.

is good

Het doet me heel erg denken aan de band Plain White T's met een vleugje Beach Boys. Ik vind dit lekkere muziek, maar tegelijkertijd doet dit album me niet heel veel. Er staat geen track op waar ik extra enthousiast van word. Ik mis iets maar weet niet precies wat. Een 3,5.

It took a couple of listens, but I ended up really liking this album, especially The Concept, Star Sign, and Is This Music? I’d never heard of Teenage Fanclub before, but I’ll definitely give more of their stuff a listen after this.

Very enjoyable. Definitely worth another listen. Simpsons: No

Enjoyed this. Never heard of them before, will listen again.

An interesting discovery. This is what I wanted when I joined this group. Not sure that I'll ever listen to them again, but I might.

You hear a lot of people talking about bands like Drive Like Jehu, American Football and Cap'n Jazz being the founders of emo music by way of the midwest emo scene, but I'd argue it was the early 90s indie rock/power pop bands that came shortly after 80s new wave and during the rise of grunge that set the tone with heartfelt lyrics sung softly over a wall of guitar and drums. This album/band helped form my own music over the years along with the likes of Big Star, The Posies and Superdrag. Listen to "What You Do To Me", "I Don't Know", "Metal Baby"

Never heard of them, so based on the name only I thought they would have a younger sound and angsty. They have been angsty but in a good way with an older vibe sound. The sound had something 50'sish about it (For some reason I thought of the Wonders from That Thing you Do) but more rock and roll less pop. I Don't Know and Metal Baby were my favs, but all was really good. Going to find more by them!

This was super fun! It was catchy and rockin’ and I was already singing along to some of the songs on first listen. Great vibes, really liked it.

So I am already a fan of Teenage Fanclub. Grand Prix, Songs From Northern Britain and Here are the only albums of theirs that I have, but I did have their greatest hits collection 365 days (I've just checked the actual title and it's Four Thousand Seven Hundred And Sixty-Six Seconds) so I have heard the hits from this album before. I'm pretty sure I've listened to this in full and maybe wasn't as impressed by some of the less memorable tracks (Satan?) and this hasn't changed much on the re-listen. The start of The Concept is great and love the jangly, noodly guitars they do so well. I think I first heard What You Do To Me (and I guess therefore of Teenage Fanclub) in the film The World's End, and I still love it here. The extended intro to Star Sign (compared to the shortened intro on single) makes this version extra special and probably my favourite on the album. December is classic TF, and Guiding Light was a beautiful stringed surprise to (almost) close the album with. It's an objective 3 but I love TF (and so did Kurt Cobain!!!) so it gets a 4 x

really enjoyed this one as well. fun music, really easy to listen to. listened while extremely sleepy but brought up my mood while finishing up my travels to the usa (🫡)! will be listening to more of their stuff !!

Super mellow for the most part but I liked this a lot.

Why do I look at other people's reviews?

OK, the album art ain't great but the songs are pretty good. Favorite tracks: "I Don't Know" and "Is This Music?"

Now this one is a surprise. Did not expect to like this as much as I did. Great early nineties alt-rock with some excellent melodies. I will be revisiting. Strong candidate for worst album cover of all-time though.

Who knew!

Tolles Album der 90er Jahre, das eine perfekte Mischung aus dem melodischen Rock von R.E.M. und der rohen Energie von Nirvana bietet. Das Album beginnt mit dem kraftvollen “The Concept”, das sofort die Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zieht. Die Gitarrenriffs sind eingängig und die Harmonien erinnern an die besten Momente von R.E.M. Songs wie “What You Do to Me” und “Star Sign” zeigen die Fähigkeit der Band, eingängige Melodien mit einer gewissen Grunge-Attitüde zu kombinieren, die an Nirvana erinnert. Ein Highlight des Albums ist “Alcoholiday”, ein Song, der sowohl melancholisch als auch erhebend ist und die Vielseitigkeit der Band unterstreicht. Die Texte sind introspektiv und emotional, was dem Album eine tiefere Ebene verleiht. Gerne nochmal Wiederhören.

I like this type of music

Thoughts before listening: There are a couple songs on this album that I really like, but I'm not sure I've heard the whole thing. In general though their sound is everything I love about 90s alt rock so I'm sure this will be right up my alley. Review: Definitely up my alley. This is very good indie rock with loud guitars (including guitar solos!) and catchy melodies. Pretty reminiscent of other bands I enjoy like Archers of Loaf and Superchunk. These were all bands that I missed at the time, but that I have grown to enjoy more than the bands I was actually into back in high school. My favorite songs were the ones I already knew (especially "The Concept"....awesome song) but it was an overall enjoyable album. 4-stars

Bara hört en låt tidigare men här finns många finfina låtar.

Great album from a great band

Some good tracks, worth a relisted - Weezer adjacent at times

Fuzz out deliciousness

Never got to hear anything about this band, except the name, but they're pretty good, on this album at least

This album landed on American shores as a very welcome antidote to the "Negative Creep" grunge vibe that was dominating American rock n roll at the time. I wore it out then, as well as their previous album "A Catholic Education" Unfortunately it was made at a time and scene where making the record sound shitty helps prove it's artistic authenticity. I'm glad we've moved in from that!

Warm, fuzzy summer vibes, good for any time of day. It’s catchy Big Star-style major key rock, sounding kind of loose and tight and polished and retro at the same time. The music flows like a lazy river, winding from track to track, and while not every song is strong in itself, the whole package holds together in a nice tension. Oh, be sure to check out the remaster, much better.

Fun

Good record, reminds me of Weezer Blue, The Posies Frosting…, and REM. Love the vocal harmonies. I wish the artwork better represented the sound.

Certainly classic rock indebted; these are jangly major-key guitar tunes if I've ever heard any. I can hear the fingerprints from all sorts of 60s and 70s juggernauts here. The melodies and instrumentation elevate this from being a pastiche to a genuinely good, inspired album. One of those things that just works for me. Highlights: The Concept, December, What You Do To Me, Star Sign, Alcoholiday, Is This Music?

It was okay. Nothing special, just an ordinary garage rock album.

Pleasantly surprised!!

I liked it. I was good. Punky.

Ganz ok! 4/5

Excellent power pop ablu. These guys listened to Big Star long and hard and come up with their own No. 1 Record. Highly enjoyable especially December, What You Do Yo Me, Alcoholiday and Is This Music. 4 stars

Rocks pretty hard. Not so hard you get a headache, but also hard enough to hold your interest.

I’m surprisingly giving this one a 4, maybe it set the mood for my stormy dash to Santa Cruz for an epic surf trip but it was fun to listen to.

Really not what I expected. Melodic, Beatlesesque indie alt pop. Really, really nice, and it's influence can be heard in other 90s bands that I like. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: What You Do To Me Date listened: 01/04/24

Sounds a bit like Oasis but 3 years earlier and better. Songs were good throughout, not a lot of variety but a strong, very enjoyable album

Another one that mostly got past me at the time. Textbook Alt-rock, with the distortion and jangly guitars, rock steady back beat, and close harmonies on the chorus.

good

Blind album and artist. Great album overall. I loved their sound and I might've recognized What You Do to Me? Don't know where though. It is my favorite on the album. I wish Satan was longer for sure.

Really solid 90s rock. Had never heard of this album but definitely enjoyed it

noise pop. ¡Qué bonito sonido!

Alt rockers hit the jackpot with legit rifts and hooks that bleed into your heart over 12 tracks.

I absolutely underestimated my relationship to this album because I found myself singing every word of every song. It was fun to remember where and who I was in 1991.

Never heard of Teenage Fanclub before and honestly it was a solid album. I felt the original rock deep cuts were good, felt familiar in such a nice way. Not full on all-out bangers but nothing to hate on.

Sad I missed these folks"back in the day". Also sad main stream media seemed to miss them too....

Ich finde die Songs gar nicht schlecht, passen sehr gut in die Zeit. Gitarre klingt manchmal etwas trashig. Der Gesang ist etwas eintönig.

Album 321 of 1001 Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque Rating : 3.75 / 5 Scottish alternative rock band, as described. I get a little more pop out of it. I like it. While no certain song stood out among the pack, the album as a whole was quite enjoyable. Good songs, good musicianship, good overall vibe. Will explore them a bit more.

I think Teenage Fanclub is an appropriate name, since this feels like a teen band. In a good way. Just the lyrics and the musical ability, kinda sounds like if I had musical ability in high school and tried to form a band. A very interesting combo of like 60s pop and elements of pop punk. Some songs I liked more than others. I could see myself listening to this more. There is a certain charm to it though. 3.5

Enjoyable listen.

another power pop set that's more promising than my last listen when it comes to the type of music. energetic and fresh, many of these tracks are peppy and quite rockin'. it's just a generally nice piece of work that gets you nodding your head with the players, and i feel like that's really what the genre is all about. good stuff!

After listening to Bandwagonesque, an album that Spin called the best album of 1991. I may disagree with that but this is still a really good album. The album has that typical teenage angst rock sound that i like about old 90s rock, but it also had some cool melodies as well. I do find some of the titles of the songs funny though like "Is This Music?" (yes it is). It is a really good album that any connoisseur of 90s rock would enjoy. Best Song: Alcoholiday Worst Song: Satan

BL: Complete blind listen. Never heard of this band before. I like the album cover though. AL: Good listen, very fun rock album. I did know "What You Do to Me" as it's definitely been in a film I'm just not sure which one. Some specific tracks really stood out, generally speaking a good strong album overall. FT: "The Concept", "What You Do to Me", "Sidewinder", "Guiding Star" 4/5

noise pop. ¡Qué bonito sonido!

Strong and steady, with an excellent last cut, and what a trip to recall all these records of '91. But, let's be honest: Songs from Northern Britain is a vastly superior record, because warmer, more soultful and more mature. Those resounding choruses and honest outreach (lyrically, one means, and presumably toward partners) are oh, so relatable. Bandwagonesque does sound just a touch dumb today, and "The Concept" vaguely annoying. Rounding up, largely, though not only, because of Hornby's love for this band (though maybe DCFC dude's love should balance that out). Last cut is a nice surprise and fine closer.

4/5. These are just well written and fully fleshed out songs, a breathe of fresh air. Each song follows the other with excellent cohesion and no song over stays its welcome, including the longer songs. It feels like a mixture of pop with post rock; post-pop? It's mostly accessible sounds and the instrumental sections are great. Not all the way perfect but a good listen nonetheless.

Completely forgot about this band... is that good or bad? Still trying to figure that out.

I don't recall if I'd heard of the band or heard any of their music, and I'm very glad I've been introduced to them by this project. This is a very good album. Excellent. Nice balance of punky and edgy sounds along with superb pop and rock sensibilities. I enjoy the performances -- very engaging and well-executed. I'll be coming back to this one and exploring more of their work.

Lag tvö, Satan, gerir ekki mikið fyrir mig. Annað er merkilega melódískt miðað við alla distortionina á gíturunum. Söngurinn so-so, en þetta er skemmtilegt og ég renndi þrisvar. Byrjaði í þrist en hækkaði í fjarka.

definitely my kind of thing. Great guitar

ради таких находок я все это и затеял

Maybe the name put me off, the expectation of generic pop not enough to entice me. But I really liked this. Doing a deep dive now into their catalogue. A missing link between 80s indie rock and 90s Britpop, fusing elements from both sides of the Atlantic, with the odd Beatlesque hook (or blatant borrowing). Good Times.

I remember when they played Saturday Night Live in the early 90s and I enjoyed their performance. I kind of forgot about them. Listening to them today, I'm a tad surprised they weren't bigger. Then again, there were so many alt rock bands in the early 90s that they got lost in the shuffle while the Seattle bands ruled the roost. Too bad. This was a solid album.

Shocked that I never listened to this, it is so up my alley. Going to do a deep dive on Teenage Fanclub soon after this one. 4/5

Excellent album cover and title. These guys sound like a more chill sonic youth and it works. Enjoyed the dreamy vibe. The Concept, Alcoholiday, and Is This Music were my favorites. Light 4.

Very good power pop. This reminds me of Matthew Sweet and maybe even the Gin Blossoms. A lot of jangly guitar parts. I like it!

Never heard of this group before, but this was a solid bunch of pop rock songs. It sounds like they might have influenced Fountains of Wayne or the Old 97s.“Pet Rock” sounds like something off of Exile on Main Street. Groundbreaking or essential? Probably not but I didn’t mind this one and it grew on me as I listened. “Sidewinder” and “Alchiholiday” were great .

Don’t judge an album by its album cover

Really really good!

This is better than you think from the album cover

Gorgeous alt rock record - very melodic, poppy but also with a lining of grit - kind of in the vein of the Wannadies, Ash and Dinosaur Jr. It's a shame it's not available on some streaming services.

noise pop. ¡Qué bonito sonido!

If it beats out Nirvana for album of the year its probably pretty good 4

So I only got the Byrds the other day and here we are with the Fannies. Nice. I missed this one at the time, got into them when Grand Prix came out off the back of Sparky's Dream. Absolutely love that, and Songs From Northern Britain even better. The Concept is great, and Is This Music is lovely and brings back memories of Goal of the Month of Match of the Day. In between those two pinnacles, this while consistently good doesn't hit me as strongly as the aforementioned (either of which would garner a 5) and so I'm scoring appropriately. Another review says it sounds like Oasis before Oasis, which in places, yes it does. And that's because Oasis were ripping off Status Quo and claiming to be the Beatles. TF also influenced by Quo but at least they were good. Power pop!

Such a fantastic power-pop album, was already fairly familiar with it before this but giving it a concentrated listen just reveals how good the songwriting is here. The opener especially is incredible, and throughout the album I love how prominent the bass is, always makes me happy. Putting it at a 4 but in the future I'm sure it'll climb even more.

Very good. Took a while to get into though. Standouts: Star Sign, the Concept, What You Do To Me, Metal Baby, Satan, Alcoholiday, Guiding Star.

would love this as a teenager

Teenage Fanclub is great, they kind of hit the sweet spot for me for early 90s alternative music, somewhere in the middle of complete lo-fi and more polished radio ready stuff. It's pop music for sure but has some rougher edges around it which I love. I have always dug this album.

Sounds like Big Star if they had slightly fuzzier guitars and perhaps 10% less inspiration. But guess what? I love Big Star, so I was always going to love this hazy, baggy power-pop melange.

Catching up, not only on the week but also the past however many decades I’ve gone without ever really listening to Teenage Fanclub. And I liked it! I also haven’t done my due diligence with Big Star, so the comp that I kept thinking of was the Lemonheads. Not so much that they sound like ‘em, but if they had gone on tour together in 1994 that would have made a lot of sense in my brain and would have also been a show I would’ve enjoyed. It feels like there’s a fair amount of meandering between the songs with discernible choruses, but otherwise good stuff. I’d maybe go 3.5 if I could, but I can’t so enjoy the no half-star bump, ya damn teenagers.

Мне сложно сказать что-то об этом альбоме. Буду переслушивать. Гитарная музыка классная: веселая и активная. Есть несколько классных хитов, к которым я вернусь. Но, честно говоря, я не понял эту музыку.

This is good, and perhaps one didn't appreciate its quality and (relative) diversity in '91. Best song is last song (if not a "tearjerker" [per editors] exactly). "Star Sign" best of the hits; one always found "The Concept" a touch annoying, and three decades hasn't changed that first impression. Songs from NB is, from top to bottom, a stronger record, largely because it's a more soulful, record.

Always great to hear Scottish bands!

Sounding like a cross between late eighties post punk and the impending alternative rock revolution that was just ahead. Teenage Fanclub are unique in their songwriting and actual riffs that it doesn’t sound like anyone else.

Favorites were "Guiding Star" and "Is This Music?"

noise pop. ¡Qué bonito sonido!

I feel like there’s a reality where this is what caused the alt rock boom in 91 instead of Nirvana, and rather than grunge, Dinosaur Jr-esq shred became the sound of the decade. That could have been cool. B

Love Teenage Fanclub. This is a great album, but not one of their best. Still a classic. 4.5/5

Interesting little album. Nothing that blew my mind but was fun to listen to. The album cover also reminds me of really shitty MS paint drawing.

If you’re familiar with Sloan, Teenage Fanclub is like 1990’s Sloan, but Scottish. Great sound, great riffs, great harmonies. All sprinkled with that ethereal, melancholy 90’s flavour.

Very decent album. Favourite track is “The Concept” 7/10

Fun mellow

I think this music is boring but I like it. Sot The concept What you do to me Star sign Is this music 3.5/5

There is so much I love about this album. Such a new vibe. Good enough range. Very original. The singing is both soft and powerful. The instrumentation is beautiful and poignant. Chords and structure impressed me and the lyrics and also pretty good. 4/5

Wasn't a band that I was into at the time, but I know all the singles really well. Indie standards. I know there are those that really worship Teenage Fanclub and that great Scottish indie scene. This is a good album, one I am sure if I'd bought at the time I'd have played to death.

Good stuff. I really like the first couple tracks with the distorted sounding guitar riffs. They remind me of Sloan, with some garage/grunge influence. The layering of guitars on certain tracks really add to the garage/slacker vibes - it really fits the era of the early 90s. Fave tracks: The Concept, Satan, Star Sign, Metal Baby

This is my first time hearing of Teenage Fanclub, but it's interesting to read they were pretty big in their day, even beating Nirvana for Spin's record of the year. I liked this album a lot, they have a very laid-back sound that combined with simplistic yet thoughtful lyrics makes for a really enjoyable listen. The sound has a timeless quality to it that makes it feel like it could have just as easily been released as a new hip indie project last year, and it would not have been out of place. Fav Tracks: December, Star Sign, Alcoholiday

Really enjoyed this album. Enjoyed don't look back , December and Metal Baby.

Really enjoyable Rock album

Fun, messy, indie album with a few amazing songs on it. Up the Fannies!

A surprise for me. I had somehow never listened to this. But it was great. Hey seem to understand song length, and what each song needs. Not afraid to have a 2 minute song followed by a 7 minute song. Throw in horns, slightly different styles. I could see this moving to a 5.

4 stars dig it.

I love this album. Jangly early 90's guitar alternapop is right up my alley.

A little known fact: if you play recent pressings of this album backwards, in amongst the howling feedback of "Satan" you can hear the collective sobbing of SPIN magazine's 1991 readership after "Bandwagonesque" was deemed Album of the Year above Nirvana's "Nevermind". It was a controversial decision, and a quick scroll through these very comments will tell you most Nirvana fans still aren't over it. I might be thirty years late to the debate, but I'm here to argue it was a sound decision. Teenage Fanclub land on a winning formula here, serving up literal DOLLOPS of crunchy guitar and noisy feedback alongside instantly familiar harmonies, picking up right where Big Star left off. They have much in common with their Creation Records labelmates The Jesus and Mary Chain, but land on a much stronger equilibrium between noise and pop. Vocals, mostly shared by Norman Blake and Gerard Love, are crystal clear and refreshingly laid back: they don't try too hard or reach too far, but they could harmonise in their sleep. The material might be simplistic and easygoing, but just try to listen to a song like "Star Sign" without grinning at the perfect alignment of it all. A lively drum beat, thunderous distortion from the rhythm guitar, a 60's throwback chord progression, unison bends on lead guitar kicking in at the second verse, all the while with gorgeous harmonised vocals. Much of the rest is in the same spirit: "The Concept" is a mini masterpiece, its tender and wistful verse giving way to a blissfully spaced-out guitar solo on clouds of falsetto "aaaaaahs". "What You Do To Me" repeats the same two lines for two minutes and never quite wears out its welcome. "Metal Baby" is Beatlesesque pop perfection. "Pet Rock" ends with a chaotic riff, horns slowly building up and saturating the signal. "Alcoholiday" and "Guiding Star" take a gorgeously melancholic turn: "there are things I want to do, but I don't know if they will be with you". Lovely. But the most striking cut of all is the closing instrumental, "Is This Music." Things switch gears here, hinting at a slightly more industrial direction with a more synthetic sound and a blaring, melodic guitar figure looped all the way into eternity. "Bandwagonesque" is candy-floss and broken glass, a marshmallow fire, forty-three spoonfuls of burnt sugar. It might not be perfect ("December" and "I Don't Know" haven't yet hooked me) but it's darn close. And yes, I like it more than "Nevermind".

I’m going to give this a four star instead of a three just because I really think this is going to grow on me hard within time.

Never heard of this band, but they jammed

This was a good listen the whole way through. A pleasant surprise from a band I hadn’t heard of, but was respected by other bands I have heard my whole life. If Nirvana and Oasis think their the ‘best band’, then they have some cred.

⚠️ ne pas juger ce livre à sa couverture ⚠️

de bonne humeur je suis

Classic jangly guitars from the fannies of Bellshill, a place close to my heart

Not the very best album by TF but still terrific.

Nostalgia trip with lots of “that kind of sounds like…” moments. Both of its time and ahead of its time sounding.

It reminds me A LOT to The Unicorns or Crocodiles. I like it! I hope to listen it again in the future.

I hadn’t listened to them before, but really enjoyed this.

alt rock, i like, esp 'the concept', 'starsign', 'metal baby'

This is a little gem. Maybe slightly dated but you can definitely hear the influence this band must have had on the bands that were to follow it later in the 90s. A decent effort

Unique find, no regrets after two listen-throughs. It is a bit of chill rock, with a bit of quirk, but it also has a feel of intention that gives the album a good feel. While nothing in particular stands out in the album, the performance is remarkably inviting, hinting that there could be more to it. There is some truth here that on the second listen, the enjoyability of this album really stood out, and in a way it plays differently. The album is a hidden gem, and it stokes curiosity as to why.

Some of the finest power pop ever recorded. I just love that clean, yet fuzzy guitar tone. 4 stars.

pretty good

I’ve never listened to Teenage Fanclub before. The harmonies are really nice, the music is great - I enjoyed the album!

Pretty good power pop, bass is really nice and forward in the mix 3.75

An excellent record blending noise, pop and jangle in one accessible mix. Adding a shade of melancholy on top, and the inspirations from R.E.M. are obvious ('Guiding Star' for instance).

Spin’s Album of the Year 1991. That’s the same year Nirvana released Nevermind. Talk about setting a high bar! It’s no secret that I love me some jangle and noise - and Teenage Fanclub delivers a great blend of exactly that and fun song writing. The R.E.M. and Dinosaur Jr. influence shines through; and when “Is This Music?” ends of the album I’m left with nothing but a smile.

I’ve had a hard time making a strong connection with this record in the past. It is absolutely pleasant, and every time I return to give it another shot I think, “Oh yeah I like all of this!” But it just teeters on the wrong side of bland. Pretty, but not exactly distinct. It always seems to remind me of another band I can’t always think of the name of…sometimes it’s of Oasis, sometimes it’s of The Byrds or early Beatles, several times it’s of Big Star and The Replacements, sometimes of other Scottish rock bands like Orange Juice, The Proclaimers, and The Beta Band, sometimes it’s of labelmates My Bloody Valentine, other times of fellow UK shoegazers, Ride, sometimes it’s of Pavement and often of Yo La Tengo, sometimes it’s of Wilco, and once or twice it even reminds me of U2, but no matter, the point is it’s music that forces my mind to wander, for better or for worse. For certain, comparisons with any one of these bands would be high praise—and that’s besides the fact that this album predates many of these artists—but comparisons with all of them simultaneously is sort of mind-bending; it’s a web of sound perhaps cast too wide, too thinly, too generalized. For instance, I think it would be difficult to describe another band as sounding Teenage Fanclub-esque. Because that’s just saying it sounds like so many things all at once! But I digress… The harmonies are the stand out element. As are the meta commentaries on music fandom and identity present in these songs—“The Concept,” most notably—this album title, and this band’s name. I quite like all the instrumental work on this album as well. The guitar solo on “The Concept” and tone on “Is This Music?” come to mind. As does the bass work all over this album—I love how forward it is in the mix! And the drums and percussion is what really solidifies this as jangle pop I think. It ties the rythm together with a nice boppin’ bow that would make The Byrds and Big Star both proud. Indeed, this is music. Quite good music too! Huzzah. Being forced to really listen and review this album for the group has helped this album considerably for me! It’s really growing on me and I’m beginning to love it. I’m going 4/5.

Great album. I don’t think it’s better than Nevermind like Spin did though. 4 Stars

Rock alternativo.

Bra sing-along album, Alcoholiday o The Concept är 5 ★ och klassiker, slutsolon på the concept är som om Hotel California int va lame

I was a Teenage Teenage Fanclub Fanclub member

Enjoyed this

Great noisy guitar driven melodies.

We've had a pretty fantastic run of classic British albums recently and this no exception. Bandwagonesque blends the angular indie of Husker Du, Pavement and similar American bands with a proto-Britpop catchiness that results in a hugely enjoyable record

Surprisingly good album. Niiiiice.

Good stuff

Qui el vam viure al seu moment el vam veure com un altre signe que les coses estaven canviant, no només a USA (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc), sinó també a Europa. El seu primer vers, amb menció no gratuïta a Status Quo, és mític, i un bon senyal de per on anirà el disc al llarg del seu trajecte. Un dels millors discos d'aquells anys, que és molt dir, i una obra inspiracional per tots els que vam créixer escoltant-la

Two good songs on the album but otherwise a bit bland

Very chill, me gusta

Had heard the band name but that was it and don't think I was expecting melodic indie. Apparently I like bands / albums with 'teen' in them.

The first song on this album, "The Concept" is one of the best songs of the 90s. It is an absolutely perfect track. In fact, "The Concept" is such a good song, it accidentally makes the rest of this album look worse, which is a shame because the rest of this album is consistently decent to great. Particular standouts include "What You Do To Me", "Metal Baby", and "Pet Rock". "Alcoholiday" is probably the second best song here, but again, nothing can really compare to "The Concept". best part(s): THE CONCEPT, Alcoholiday worst part(s): This album getting more hype than Grand Prix, the actual best Teenage Fanclub album.

First time listen! This has some absolute bops!

From memory, UK guitar bands just before Britpop took off: Madchester / Shoegaze / Wedding Present / St Etienne and ..Teenage Fanclub. Bandwagonesque might be the best album from a very solid band, who made a string of very decent albums. It is nice to see this album on the list, like that album from the La's, just short of 5 stars for me.

Very nineties, this. Never checked out this band at the time, but this sounded quite good.

I like the blissed out power pop Teenage Fanclub, but this isn't my favourite albums from them. It might be the most consistent but it lacks the hooks of some of their later albums.

As a Scottish person, I feel like I have to admire Teenage Fanclub arbitrarily, however underneath this exterior of seemingly out-of-tune harmonies and repetitive structures, there's a sense of real talent. I firmly believe that Teenage Fanclub are a bit of a piss-take, in that they write mindless songs purposefully, which kinda makes them secretly genius.

so dreamy and sweet

For 1991 really ambitious. Worth listening. (7/10) FT: The Concept

some of the best pure pop to come out of the 90's. it was a little before my time and i didn't even discover this album until college in the early 2000's. the hooks here are just to addicting and everything is so simple.

Really enjoyed it. Good drunk music. A relatively rare recent four.

Pixies meets Sonic Youth

I really enjoyed the subtle tones of this album. It feels a lot like relaxing metal with punk influences. I would totally listen to this more.

Tengo muy buenos recuerdos de este disco y tiene muy buenas canciones como "The Concept", "What You Do to Me" o "Is This Music?". Pero sobre todo es "Star Sign" mi favorita y que hace brillar todo el disco. Así que será un 4 estrellas ****.

I really enjoyed this - I knew a bit of TF already but found this fun!

Great

Listened to this album a few times in the Q because Ben Gibbard said he really liked it. I really like it too

Decent, melodic, power pop. ‘Bandwagoneque’ is sloppy and loose (partly deliberately, partly not) but that adds to its overall charm. It’s also got that distinct early 90’s rock sound that I associate with my childhood and find nostalgic. Not ground-breaking, but a cut above a lot of indie-rock records, both from its era and long after it.

On previous list. Awesome.

Pretty solid, these songs mutate as they go which keeps things dynamic and interesting

Amazing

Mega————bangerszzzz

Balanced, well rounded power pop. A seamless blend of alternative sound and mainstream appeal

man ayy bruuuuh (remix) detta ägde!

Sounds like Eels shagged Oasis

Iako nisan nikad slušala ovaj album (ni bend) ima mi nekako throwback vibe haha pozitiva!

Most music is influenced by what went before, and the influence on Oasis is well documentated and obvious. A good album in it's own right though

Pleasantly surprised. This is a very good alternative rock album. 3.5/5

03/05/2022 Had some fun with this one! Power-pop/rock with LOTS of similarities (to me, at least) to Weezer, with a bit more grunge. Glad to have found this!

Very solid album. Definitely ahead of it's time with the lofi and absolutely love the play with the guitar. However, some of the songs do kinda sound formulaic, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the album. Something to drive around in on your morning drive.

Great tunes

4/5. Kinda bumps. Ben Gibbard’s favorite; no surprises there

December and Star Sign are very nice tracks. The album indeed takes into teenage memories :)

I liked the last track the most. Overall, the sound is good but not interesting enough for me to really pay attention. It's more background music. But, Ben Gibbard's cover album takes it to that next level for me. It's more what my ears want to hear.

Familiar yet unique, good 90s rock album

Great post-punk sound, If Cobain namechecks you, it's good enough for me.

Incredible early 90s alt rock/shoegaze. Will absolutely listen to more, love hearing the inspiration for later alt/indie/emo bands

A perfectly solid 90s indie rock album. Enjoyed the production. Fav: the concept

Had a shaky start imo, but picked up after that

Is This Music? is a great way to end an album.

yooo this one was gooood

Teenage Fanclub are a terrific band and Bandwagonesque is a great album. Their songs stood out from the Brit Pop scene - indeed, they don’t really belong to that genre. Here are finely crafted, folk influenced songs with intricate sung melodies and lead guitar duties shared between the band, with lovely guitar solos. The model was refined further on their next album, Grand Prix, which of their masterpiece - five stars are reserved for that album so four stars for this.

this is kinda coooll. never ever heard of them but i like this vibe and genre 4.5

Lovely album and band but suffers by following the White Album, What You Do To Me was the first track of theirs I really loved

First time listening and I was not disappointed! Enjoyed their sound!

I do enjoy this album, a few songs I enjoy less than the others, but one of my faves

Yeah, I really liked it. Mostly upbeat, melodic. none of the songs were megahits, but it was a very even album.

The Concept and Alchololiday are fantastic. There's a bit of a middlin' dive in the middle, but both beginning and end are strong. Very enjoyable.

Fun album. Well done 90s alt rock

A good album that I had never even come close to hearing of before!

🎸🥃🏔🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💰

Beach Boys of the early 90's. Let's get innocuous.

Loved this. Melodic and kinda lo-fi.

Pretty great power pop album of the 90s revival like The Posies or Jellyfish who would later inspire pop-punk. Coherent with decent tracks with clear inspirations from Big Star, Beach Boys, and Beatles, but with a spin of 90s alt-rock trends like shoegaze. Tracks are pretty solid: sufficiently catchy with enough melodic variation to keep interest. My favorite is the opener "The Concept," especially with the shift half way in. Main complaint is that songs are often longer than need be. They shouldn't be longer than say 3.5 minutes... except for that opener due to the half way shift. Biggest example is "Alcoholiday." Favorite Tracks: The Concept, What You Do To Me, Star Sign, Metal Baby, Sidewinder

Solid Rock album. Is it better than Nevermind? Ehhh probably not but still very enjoyable and well done

First time I've heard this band, and I really like them.

Pavement-y. Very listenable.

Was not expecting a band I had never heard of on the list. The album was great though. Especially "What You Do To Me". How have I not heard that song before, it's great!!!

-alt rock - 8/10 -dc nu l-am ascultat mai devreme

Pretty impressed with this first album. Had a very fresh sound given it came out in the early 90's. Seems to meld several genre's together in a nice melodic way.

Very cool nostalgic sound. Reminds me a little of the Foo Fighters (at least their mellower songs). Gives me some angst by association, but in the best way.

Very very surprised at this album, I really enjoyed it, kinda my genre though

Really good album. Not better than Nevermind. But still good

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, thought I wasn't going to like it but ended up really getting into it. 8, saved and will probably come back to this

as predicted, very alt rock-y. fitted my taste in music, kind of reminds me of the replacements

Good ol' 90's rock! These Scots knew what they were doing when they made this Alternative Rock album, and it was very enjoyable to listen to.

Feels like the perfect teenage alt rock album. Really enjoyed every song on here! 4/5

War schon eine kleine Überraschung!

Cool.

Interesting album. It starts off w/ what seems like an ode to Free Bird and then explores the alternate 90’s alternative timeline. Spin picked this as album of the year over Nevermind, and I see where they were coming from. This is a world where My Bloody Valentine was Pearl Jam. It’s an interesting thought. Overall, I like this album, I will listen to it again. I think it’s worth exploring. I’m rounding up and giving it a 4

Really liked it, shoegaze britpoppy vibes

I enjoyed that, a good album. 4*

Not heard of the album, or the band. Not quite sure how. Good album. Very 90's indie. Guitars, jangly. Decent.

Ken ik alleen van naam, beviel goed!

Hele toffe plaat. Kende deze nog niet zo heel goed, maar heb 'm zelfs 2 keer gedraaid.

Enjoyed this much much more than I have previously.

Fijn album! Lekker 90's gitaargeluid.

don't really get the hype for this one. sounds good but it’s pretty generic and the lyrics seem so cliched. 7

Pretty forgettable but good, nice for doing homework. 7

ok, not sure how it is on the list, but nice indie rock

7. Maybe an 8, didn't listen that intently, might come back to it at some point to see

This fucking rips! I’ve never heard of this band.

Very interesting, much better than what I was expecting

Pretty fun! 8

Un álbum medianito, a gusto, hasta tranquilo a pesar de tanto riff. De pronto tiene reminiscencias de Sonic Youth, yo diría en mi poco entendimiento. Se me hizo curioso que la apertura sea la canción más larga y la que más cambios internos tiene y que el cierre sea un cuestionamiento instrumental ("Is This Music?"). Canciones fav: "Star Sign" y "Alcoholiday". Le doy 7.5/10.

Pretty cool. Very Weezer like

Above average 90s rock.

Fun, early 90's blend of guitar-infused rock with pop vocals.

The very first notes were pretty jarring. So far I like the songs themselves, but I’m not a huge fan of the electric guitar heaviness. I like the vocals and the melodies, but the electric guitar makes my ears want to bleed.

I liked it...kind of grungy

The outro to Satan is sick and I liked Sidewinder as well. Is This Music? is a great closing track too

Had never heard of this album or band before and was pleasantly surprised. Was great

Curtindo bastante, guitarras com noise e vocais melódicos, com harmonias

easy going rock, really liked it

A lot of these alt/indie 90s rock bands are starting to sound the same to me. But it's still nice.

4

Really enjoyable album. So much variety that ultimately results in a highly satisfying listen.

Skulle kunna fått en femma men albumet var lite för enformigt

3.5/4

NIce

Very very fresh, fuzzy pop. The runtime is broken up by instrumentals which feel good. For that matter, the entire project feels pretty great. I think it succeeds on about as many levels as one could expect it to.

3,5/5

i like this, sounds like a foreign rusty machines. album also has a good spotify radio.

Always love a bit of creation

I'm a fan of Teenage Fanclub and power pop as a genre, so you'd think I'd love Bandwagonesque. For me it sounds like a band with promise who haven't yet hit their prime, which isn't far from the truth. Their love of Big Star is present and in the forefront, but they never get close to anything as good as them on this record. I feel like Thirteen (their next album) is more of a complete album, with Grand Prix being a pinnacle, but Bandwagonesque was a big breakthrough for Teenage Fanclub (even earning album of the year from Spin). I think Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend is an infinitely better power pop record from the same year 🤷‍♂️

Cool, but ultimately forgettable.

Prvič slišim za ta album, za ta band. Očitno so iz Glasgowa. (Všeč mi je ta MS Paint naslovnica albuma.) Ok, "Satan" je zelo noisy. And I loved it. Presenetljivo drugačn komad kot dokaj run of the mill prvi komad, "The Concept". "December" je so far neki tretjega. "Star Sign" ma dobro minuto spacy intra, dokler se suddenly na začne komad s hitrim ritmom. Hmm, loh bi mal več eksperimentiral, ker takrat, ko eksperimentirajo, so mi velik bolj kul. "Pet Rock" je večinoma inštrumentalen. Unfortunately, je vse skp kinda boring. "Is This Music?" mi je pa dejansko ful hud.

... 2.7

This is a nice collection of whimsical noise pop love songs. I had heard about these guys and seen the album cover a few times before, I thought for some reason these guys were really abrasive and snotty with bad intentions in mind. What I thought couldn't literally be further from the truth. These guys instead sound so cute and innocent, they're like softer in the heart than even The Beatles! This was a nice change of pace of an album, definitely some sweet noise pop gems are to be found here. I think this a strong 3-but-not-quite-4 star album. Highlight Song/s: "December", "Metal Baby" and "Is This Music"

The Good: We are part of a fucking fanclub! The Bad: Having to deal with fucking teenagers… The Ugly: Still not understanding the album name… This album does belong on the list… not because it is great, but because you can hear how many bands afterwards did a much better job! I was okay with the first song… but the remaining songs made me dream of a hot bath and a razor blade… Depressing is not something a fanclub should be about. Anyway, it is listenable… for those who like it. Me, I will give it a 2 1/2 upgraded because I am feeling generous today!

I actually don't mind it, but it definitely doesn't feel like it's a top 1001 album of all time.

This was an odd one. The music is good, but somehow the songs seem too long. Even if they are 3 minutes. I enjoyed it, but also zoned out at times. Is this music? Well, yes. It's not great, but I liked it.

Pretty hood but got boring

Exactly what I assumed a band called Teenage Fanclub would make.

Pretty boring at times, but nothing actually bad.

I'm done with this list. I won't waste my time by listening to the other 900 albums.

Have you ever wanted to listen to the most 90's rock/pop group ever? Kind of a Lemonheads vibe, alright but not great.

Solid 2.5/5. They definitely listened to their share of early (black and white with mop top) Beatles.

3.5. Might like more on a second listen

Je dois dire que lors des deux-trois premières secondes, je m'étais vraiment demandé sur quoi j'étais tombé. C'était trois secondes de bizarreries qui annoncent surtout que le groupe va avoir un son particulier. En effet, les guitares sur cet album ont un son très flou, un peu de type shoegaze. Et il faut avouer que c'est pas dégueulasse. Avec un son pareil, ils vont nous faire un truc cool, hein ? Hein ? Et c'est là que le bât blesse, avec Bandwagonesque. Ils ont un son de guitare super intéressant, pas forcément ultra-original, mais qui sonne super bien, mais ils n'en font en réalité pas grand-chose. Musicalement, c'est très classique, une sorte de rock anglais des années 90 comme on en a entendu mille fois dans cette liste. S'il n'y avait pas ce son de guitare grésillant, ça serait à mettre à peu près au même rang que Shack. Oui, j'ai pas peur des mots. Je déteste pas cet album, je l'ai même bien apprécié. Mais bon sang, avoir un son si cool et ne rien en faire ! Il n'y a guère qu'au début de Star Sign qu'ils expérimentent un tout petit peu et qu'ils en jouent, mais le reste du temps, c'est du rock très classique avec un son un peu original. C'est finalement ce qui les sauve du 2, parce que sinon, c'est vraiment très osef, musicalement. Il suffit pas d'avoir un gimmick sympa pour faire de la super musique.

Better than I expected! First Teenage album i've appreciatied.

I don't really have much to say about this one. It was alright, but I've also pretty much forgotten all about it already Standouts The Concept 3/5

Someone who created the list really loves the jangle jangle jangle pop/rock. I don't.

Un bon album. Il a une bonne sonorité malgré, des fois je pouvais trouver ça répétitif. Une simplicité niveau les paroles mais, c est parfait pour le style du bande. 7,5/10

2,8/5

La verdad me gusto, es una banda que no conocía para nada. Me pareció interesante la música, no es nada WOW, pero copada. 6,5/10

This is good. Fun pop rock, but gets a bit samey for me. Still a decent album.

Todas muy parecidas. Es un tipo de álbum q escucharía louis Tomlinson. Está bueno pero Meh

Some great songs but TF never really got hold of me growing up

ive always liked this cover and the name but i never really liked the music despite having a sort of substantial bandwagonesque phase a couple years back? i liked december. pretty mid.

I thought it would be grungier, definitely on the cusp between 80’s and 90’s rock

Favorite track(s): The Concept, Metal Baby, Is This Music?