Bandwagonesque

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

Yeah, it's alright.

Liked it better than I thought a would but didn’t feel moved to save any songs to come back to

Pretty bold to simply say "We stole our sound from the Alternative Music coming out of the US" and they said that. It's ok I guess, but I don't understand why they'd be on this list? Oh right, UK act. At least put a Screaming Trees album on here or something.

I have never heard of this album before. As a Brazilian, that may not be so surptising. I'm more into Brazilian rock, just because of what was accessible to me. So it was a pleasent surprise to hear this. Bandwagonesque has a range of styles and a diversity of topics they play about that makes it a fun, engaging journey to listen to this album. I got it on repeat a few times before writting this.

No doubt that this album had an influence on the uk indie music scene in the UK.

Generically lazy.

Alright

Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque The Fannies make everything sound effortless. A bit too effortless at times. There are some highs here. The Alex Chilton sounding December, the wonderfully effervescent What You Do To Me, and the wonderful Star Sign. But there is a lot that just goes by too. Satan, apart from that piledriving last 30 seconds, Pet Rock, Metal Baby, Sidewinder.... In fact the whole album just lazy falls away like jelly on the edge of a table. It goes and no one seems bothered. The closing instrumental does try to rally things a bit though. But, the opening track The Concept is worth the price of entry alone. A magnificent song that rolls from one glorious chord to the next as guitars casually but gracefully fly and twist around each other. It sets heights that the rest just can't compete with. Best Track - The Concept Worst Track - Alcoholiday 7/10

Ok, but dull

I wish more of this album sounded like The Concept or Is This Music? :( Decent to listen to, not memorable. Favorite Tracks: The Concept I Don't Know Is This Music?

I Didn't Want To Hurt You 1001 Albums Generator 362 (10/1/2026) Fun jangle pop, which starts and ends really strong. I haven't ever heard of Teenage Fanclub, but this is a pretty good album. 3.5/5, rounded down to 3. Favs: The Concept Star Sign Is This Music? Least Fav: Satan

Average teen movie soundtrack, not the biggest fan in the club

Tja, typische jarennegentigpop met wat vervorming en lijzige zang, en wat piepjanknormuziek tussendoor. Kan heel leuk zijn, maar dit is nogal nondescript. In Nederland hebben deze gasten verder nooit een deuk in een pak boter geslagen, dat zegt ook wel iets. Niks valt verder op en we gaan weer door met de volgende plaat. Wel leuke bandnaam weer.

Na een vroege rock and roll plaat, een vroege country plaat, krijgen we nu een vroege britpop plaat. Deel van de leut bij de 1001 is het gesprek over de selectie. Na het 1001-gesprek van gisteren over deze plaat, moest ik even wiki-en over mijn eerste zin. Want wat is vroeg bij Britpop? Daarvoor biedt wiki een mooie tijdslijn met gerenommeerde bands. (En nogal off-topic, daartussen een 'hoogtepunt rivaliteit' tussen de twee bekende bands, dus wellicht moet ik het als bron ook met een korreltje zout nemen). Los van de paar bands die al dit soort muziek maakten, voordat de term was uitgevonden. Knalt het genre er vanaf 1990 in. Dus ja: dit album uit 1991 was vroeg. Maar tegelijk staan er in het overzicht al in 1990 bewezen namen als Radiohead en Blur genoteerd. En wat is dan de waarde van dit vrij vergeetbare plaatje ten opzichte van de concurrenten?

Okay. Good.

There is a surprising amount of Scottish rock bands on this list that are just okay. I like the noise elements, but a lot of the melodies and vocals are just okay at best. Mid 3.

It picks up, but I thought it was just fine.

mid 3.5. É um bom álbum de rock que bebe um pouco do britpop e outros gêneros da época, mas não se destaque profundamente. Ainda é bem coeso e divertido.

Very early 90s, sounds like the soundtrack to a teen comedy from that era.

Enjoyment: 5/10 Replayability: 5/10 Cohesion: 6/10 Flow/Pacing: 5/10 Artistic Merit: 5/10 Weighted Average: 5.15/10 Review: Sounds like your average 90s rock-pop hybrid. The last track asks, Is This Music? - and I think so. Nothing outstanding, but an easy listen. Liked Song(s): The Concept, I Don't Know, Pet Rock, Is This Music? Disliked Song(s): (None) Recommend? Yes Heard Before? No

The album was okay. However, there wasn't anything on it that I absolutely have to listen to again. 3/5

Perfectly inoffensive. Barely noticed when the album restarted.

A bit middling, but considering the release year it was a bit ahead of its time. That earned it an extra star from me.

An alright Britpop alternative rock album. Don't have a ton to say about this record, no song really stood out above the others, but it wasn't a bad listen, just mostly forgettable. I won't be coming back to this band again, so the most I can do is a 3/5. This album felt very bland and unimportant and probably shouldn't have been on this list.

Ok album. Kind of Weezer-ish. I wasn’t really blown away by any tracks. I didn’t mind the listen, but I am a fan of the genre. Probably a 2.5, but I’m upping it to 3.

Enjoyable fuzz

Seems fairly generic to the time. Decent listen but not special.

Teenage Fanclub sound like Guided By Voices but with their edges smoothed out. It’s a bright, fuzzy, cheery sound and an enjoyable enough vibe that it did not bother me too much that it was not exactly unique and none of the songs stood out.

Of all the album I've listened too in my life, that was definitely one of them. I've just finished and I'm struggling to remember anything about it. Could just be me on a bad day, or could be that this was super bland and unmemorable. I'll give it 3* to split the difference

Great opener and closer

Completely average without any real merit. I think one of the songs in the middle might have been a single, it certainly seemed a little better than that others

I knew of Teenage Fanclub because they collaborated with De La Soul on the best song of the Judgment Night soundtrack. I had not listened to them proper, so I was excited to check this album out. It sounded like the early 90’s. An easy listen. Background music for an episode of Beverly Hills 90210. I liked it, but nothing grabbed me enough to stop my puzzle to add a song to my library. 3 stars

Fun power pop.

Teenage Fanclub — Bandwagonesque Pre-listening: I know nothing of this band. I am just going to dive in. Best Song: Alcoholiday. Runner-Up: I Don’t Know. Third Place: The Concept. Post-listening: They sound like a lesser known Gin Blossoms. Or a mixture of Goo Goo Dolls and Weezer. As I listened, I couldn’t help but think, “why didn’t this band become more popular?” Google to the rescue! Turns out, they never wanted to suck-up to record labels so they were never pushed. Their second album struggled to maintain the same sound as grunge took over, so they lost their first album fans. They were a cult band for a time where cult bands got promoted but they remained just one of the cult bands which I found interesting. All of their music was likable, but nothing so phenomenal that it needs to be revisited. I did however save Alcoholiday to my liked songs, so I got something out of it. Rating: 7/10 Stars: 3/5

Started well, then got a bit... boring. Thought they sounded a lore more modern than they were, and had no idea where they were from. But the clean jangly guitars only went so far.

Pretty mid outside the last song

Eh this was okay

Not sure I've heard this band before but off to a good start with crunchy guitars and pop sensibilities. Not a bad album, some catchy songs. Gets a bit repetitive near the end but a decent rock album all around with that great 90's indie sound.

Very good record. A 3,5.

This really seems like something I should like, but it doesn't come together for me. First track is good, but its also the best and promises something not really delivered by the rest of the album.

How this beat out Nevermind for Spin's 1991 AOTY remains one of life's greatest mysteries. The sound is reminiscent of Oasis, but Oasis does it better, and it goes without saying that Nirvana's at least one step above both. The Concept teeters between atonality and straightforwardness, between pop-alt and grunge-alt. I'm not super convinced, though the second half does much better, switching up to a kind of slow, 70s-style, Eagles-esque ballad of regret. Nice guitarwork in this section. Though I trust Teenage Fanclub will dial up the subtlety levels in future tracks. To their credit, they switch up the sound in Satan, but at the expense of pretty much everything enjoyable. Just an anonymous noise-rock piece in a musical era completely oversaturated with those. Show us some skill, guys! Ooh, decent vocals (December). Let's pray the band remember how to play chords other than I, IV, and V. (They don't.) What You Do To Me positively knocks it out of the park compared to its predecessors. Ridiculously catchy chorus, simple strong instrumentation, all in a succinct two minutes. I Don't Know isn't the first instance of a strong bassline here, but by golly, it's the best so far. I also enjoy the soft close harmonies and how they don't butt into the mix too much. The instrumental in the last minute really takes the cake, though. Closing out side 1, we get continuation of the "soft, unobtrusive vocals" trend in Star Sign. Reminds me of... I dunno, Michael Stipe, maybe? If Stipe were quieter and his friends were brasher. Metal Baby is bizarrely Beatlesque. Not in production or texture or anything like that (aside from the clapping). Just in composition, melody, lyrics. I kind of dig it. That strange chord they keep using (which I think is V aug) is definitely something Lennon and McCartney would cook up. In case you were seeking out an instrumental track by this point – which, to Teenage Fanclub's credit, I kind of was – Pet Rock has you covered. Pure rock'n'roll right there, with hints of honky-tonk buried in the mix. Cool. In contrast, Sidewinder lacks punch, and feels like a limp attempt to replicate a couple of the earlier tracks. Alcoholiday is a little better – again a solid bassline mixed very clearly – and uses a sort of Wall-of-Sound technique. I can handle 5:26 of it, but probably not any longer. Guiding Star somewhat rips the melody from I'll Be Your Mirror, though maybe I'm hallucinating. It's a good song, much softer than the ones before it – the percussion is barely even audible. Is This Music? – an excellent question. I'll err on the side of "yes", though the weird synths give some pause. 3/5 Key tracks: The Concept, What You Do To Me, I Don't Know

yeeeeeeup. Fine album for the time and I'm not sure if these guys invented the washed out mid 90s surfy/alt punk sound but this just almost generic. I did hear a pretty clever use of instruments. I dug it but I can't quite rank it so high now can I? They don't seem to come up in my research of this. Overall sounds great, just obscure and derivative.

On second thought (or second listen) I’ve come to enjoy this album of period correct rock jingles. No setting the world on fire, but there’s something good here.

Tok seg opp utover albumet. Sterk treer.

ooh this one’s Scottish apparently Man I wish they had more strings on December, the little string parts that were there were so pretty I really like their bass lines tho and the songs are pretty catchy. Overall that was good, I think I’ll have to listen to it at least one more time to know if it’s something I’d want to return to. Really catchy songs though I was suprised. Overall, 3.3/5

Extra star for feedback.

Very nice. Nothing mind-blowing, just solid, fuzzy alt rock before alt rock broke big. I never got into this band because my local radio station never played them, but I think I would have been into this in the 90's.

I like the jangle pop sound on this album, but it meandered a little too long at times and only a couple songs were memorable.

A rock album that’s a real earworm as well. Many of these songs really dig into your brain and are really great at capturing that moody, teenage band sound. I wish some songs had more to them lyrically and I think it’s a little too quiet and not very striking vocally. Still, what’s here is pretty neat.

I was excited seeing this album because I thought I was going to get some good Punk Rock, but unfortunately the music didn't stand out to me much

Shit album cover, and including a bunch of random feedback/distortion does not make you a better artist. Despite the inauspicious start, this was fine. 3.1

The first song is fire and the rest was kinda forgettable

It doesn't sound great in 2026, but it does sound like a lot of really popular 90s bands were listening to this in 1991. That makes it worthy of the listen, imo

A: Jeeee! Hederligt loser lame roligt rock album med roligt namn. Jee? Eeh underhållande o ha som bakgrundsmusik, sku nog int lyssna annars 3.9-4.2/5 (SA-tier??????) D: Lite overhyped, sådär Beatles om dom sku gö rock typ. Överlag int så intressant o överraskande mainstream. Färgmässigt väldigt passande cover. 2/5.

it's got a tone to it that i like, but a ring that i don't like (i don't know if that makes sense or if i should even post this). so overall pretty good.

This is from a Scottish alternative rock band, and the music is reminiscent of 1970s rock. Each of the band members is featured on one or more tracks, which you don’t encounter often. Random note - they jammed words together (one track titled Alcoholiday and the album title Bandwagonesque). Overall better than expected.

The concept- 8.5/10 Satan- 3.5/10 What you do to me- 6/10 IDK- 7.5/10 Star sign- 8/10 Metal baby-7/10 Pet rock- 6.5/10 Side winder- 7/10 Alcoholiday- 7.5/10 Is this music? - 6/10 FINAL RATING- 3/5

sympa sans plus

Solid alt rock album. Was a bit plain on the first listen, it grew on me after a few but its still a bit bland. Could use some edgier vocals or some guitar solos or something to spice it up.

Like teenage fanclub but don't always love!! Again sometimes it's the voice that gets me wrong

I was a fan of this album when it first came out. Listening to it now it sounds like it is pretty derivative, until you realize that it predates nearly all the records you would compare it to. That said, not sure it is one I need to hear before I die. 3⭐️

this was an enjoyable listen

never heard this but it was pretty decent.

There are good songs. There are okay songs. The biggest issue plaguing this project is vocals drowning in instrumentals. The instrumentals are great, but they completely cover up the vocals on some songs. The final two tracks on this project are bangers worthy of praise. Unfortunately, there’s a long stretch in the middle that just all blends together.

- Pleasantly inoffensive. The right combo of late 50s rock harmonies with the smallest dash of distortion to make it sound like the fake band featured in any teen rom-com from the 90s to the 00s. - Pretty convinced Dave Grohl took this sound and ramped up the edge to make the Foo Fighters. - HOWEVER, the final track, the instrumental "Is This Music?," immediately had me wondering where it came from -- a beautifully sick, piercing, almost electropop guitar that could have been released last week. I wish the whole album was this sound.

Too much noise but this gets ok grade for the music that is there

Rocks good enough, but hard to not hear it as a lesser, Scottish, Dinosaur Jr album.

this is so cool!! never heard this before and wish i knew about it when i was a teenager

Very average pop rock, I'd say?

Some lovely melodic pop rock. Sounds like Weezer and Dinosaur jnr covering Brit pop songs. It just lacks the emotional impact I want from a rock album to give longevity.

Turned out better than expected. Had some small pleasant surprises in there. Mostly it sounded like a poor Beatles album

Had some good ones

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

3.0 - Ok

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?

An amuse bouche to 90s sound and precursor of what was to come. Oasis-ish, Smashing Pumpkins-ish, REM-ish. Interesting to go back and experience how much guitar the 90s still had.

Émotionellement ça me touche pas c'est il y a qlq chose d'indéniable. C'est ok

I have no idea how you go about compiling a list of 1001 must-listen albums, this was a bit random but I quite liked it. There must be an awful lot of luck and "right place right time" for decent bands like this to succeed.

Part punk-ish, part proto-grunge, part pop/alternative rock, part...The Cure? This was kind of all over the place, but in a way that worked and was entertaining. I actually really liked some of the guitar tones and bass work. It was in the "really good" realm, but not great.

I liked it enough. Early 90s Alt pop. Guiding Star was a hazy gem. 3.4/5.

I really enjoyed this album. Definitely middle of the road 90s alt-rock, but I can see the influence in contemporary alt music. Loved the vocals and I think catchy tunes elevate this. I thought it was really enjoyable overall but nothing over the top. The Concept is a major standout. Top Songs: The Concept, December, Metal Baby, Is This Music?

6/10

Sound. 3.5/5.

More quite pleasant, fairly jangly, 90s fare.

Not too bad, I quite enjoyed this one. I didn't really know much about these guys before, so it's nice to get some exposure. I'm getting a lot of 'Ash' in this. This third album has about 5 years on them, so no doubt they were an influence. It's quite dreamy and accessible, and with some nice vibes, but it's not setting the world alight. 3.5 rounded down. Ps: This is one of the best album covers I've EVER seen.

First song in, this is just Weezer, you can't convince me otherwise. Different singer but this is the same music that Weezer makes. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, I like Weezer, but we'll see if this album actually does anything special after track 1. Track 2: What am I listening to? 1 minute of garbled guitar noises, 20 seconds of a guitar riff, and that counts as a song? Track 3: Okay maybe I am starting to get it? Not bad, kind of a slower ballad, but really nothing that stands out... I think the songs are just too slow so far to really keep me engaged Track 4: Same stuff, really just doesn't grab me, I can't explain why. Also, holy repeating lyrics, I can't get behind repeating the song name 30 times in a row and calling it a chorus. Really no notes for the rest of the album, it was fine but I'm left feeling unimpressed and ready to move on from this one. Overall, I don't know why I would listen to this over any other more popular group in the genre, nothing special about it.

This band was quite the flavor of the month at the start of 1992, hadn't really thought of them again until now. Totes fine.

Just a solid, generic rock album. Nothing really special here for me though

This is truly Sonic Youth if they were good and not circle jerked to death. In all seriousness this is a pretty warm and enjoyable jangle pop album from the 90s. This album won't blow your mind unless you haven't heard any Jangle Pop before, but it also is just a good time front to back. It does what it sets out to do and it does it just right, I truly don't have too many complaints about it all. One complaint that I think everyone can share is wondering why Satan made the final cut for this project, no other track is like it and it feels like a warm up for the band just thrown in for shits and giggles. There are a good amount of standout tracks like Alcoholiday, Metal Baby, and Sidewinder but the quality can jump a little bit depending on how much you enjoy the project. For me it was usually one or two good songs then one or two great songs and it kept that pattern the whole time. If you like The Sundays you will also very much enjoy this.

Surprised me, quite liked this, maybe deserves more than my 3

Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub is an album I’d always meant to get around to, so I was genuinely looking forward to finally giving it a proper listen. To really get a feel for it, I ended up listening to it two or three times throughout the day. It definitely didn’t grab me on the first listen, and initially I actually found it quite difficult to get into. But over time it started to click. It’s very much a grower of an album, with a dark, slightly moody atmosphere that slowly pulls you in the more familiar you become with it. Looking back now, you can really hear how influential it was. Coming out in 1991, it feels like an early blueprint for a lot of indie music that followed. The mix of distorted guitars, melodic songwriting, and laid-back vocals gives it a sound that still feels fresh and authentic. What I liked most is how easy it becomes to listen to once it settles in with you. It’s not packed with huge singles or dramatic moments, but it has a consistency and warmth that makes you want to return to it again. By the end of the day, I found myself appreciating it far more than I expected after that first listen. Favourite tracks: “December” is a brilliant track with a fantastic opening riff and probably the moment the album really clicked for me Least favourite tracks: There aren’t really any weak tracks — every song feels like it deserves its place on the album Album artwork: Love the cover — simple, colourful, and very memorable

I've heard of this band not sure if I have heard any music. Cool rock music.

The album cover was made in Paintbrush on Windows 3.0. Kudos, however, for making Gene Simmons out himself as a raging asshole. Not that anyone should be surprised by that. Completely inoffensive radio rock. Pretty. Metal Baby: distinctly not metal. False advertising, very disappointed. :/ Sidewinder: what brilliant songwriting. "when you're ticking, I'm your tock"... *snort* ok

286/1089 this was a pretty solid album, it didn’t inspire me greatly but it was enjoyable and didn’t overstay its welcome fave: Guiding Star 56/100

The opening of the first songs made me think it was gonna be punk. Turns out it was some timeless sounding pop rock. Pretty easy to listen to

I enjoyed this. Not a bad album.

Easiest three ever

Sound ahead of its time. Much better than the album art looks

I have so tremendously little to say about this. I don't remember this band from the time, other than they did that song with De La Soul on the Judgement Night soundtrack. This album is essentially 60s rock tarted up in 90s fashion. It's an album that makes me yearn for a 10 point scale, because this is a 2.5/5, 5/10, exactly average experience. I'll round up since I don't want to seem like o think this is bad, it isn't.

Nostalgic and hella solid jangle pop

Aaah, the 90s all over again. Every radio station sounded like this.

SPIN Magazine's greatest mistake (or greatest publicity stunt). Shoegaze makes me tired. I don't like it, it doesn't take any particular musical talent, and it just feels like grunge without the emotion. So, I dreaded listening to this, and when I did, my dread was not disappointed. The opening track is akin to a shoegaze cover of everything wrong with Free Bird - especially the length. You know what? If you're reading this far, you don't want to hear it either. Remember that Simpsons episode with the Smashing Pumpkins where the the crowd was barely swaying? That is this entire album. It's not bad - it just sucks.

Meget lækkert. God tråd, god mængde larm.

Their third album. Indie Rock / Alt Rock. This is pretty cheesy. Some decent enough melodies to tap your toes to but not much substance beyond that. Creation Records definitely used very similar production on a certain band from Manchester and their debut album a few years later. Metal Baby and Pet Rock could be a proto Oasis tracks musically. 2.5 rounded up to a 3 on here.

3/5

Will listen again

Lowkey agreeable.

Some nice alternative rock, which while doesn't impressed me, haven't annoyed me.

A pleasant listen, but nothing really stands out here. Likes: What You Do To Me; Star Sign; Guiding Star

A primeira música é simplinha, mas legalzinha até. Parece uma banda que tá começando suas composições. É, começaram a inventar coisa com distorção. Voltaram a ficar legalzinho, parece muito que estão se divertindo compondo o primeiro álbum.

Essa banda me pareceu muito uma galera adolescente que se reuniu e começou a tocar despretensiosamente, só por diversão. Aí eles até tocam bem, mas ainda não acharam o diferencial deles. Ainda tá meio genérico. Não achei ruim, mas também não achei nada demais. Parece que falta algo ainda. Mas no mais, não achei extremamente boring não, ouvi de boa até, bem ok. PS: A música chamada Satan em que eles só ficam fazendo barulhos aleatórios é muito "Jorge Hardcore". Deu uma vergoinha alheia kkk

Nothing stood out. Nothing detracted.

I quite enjoyed this album. I liked their sound and vibe

Noch nie von gehört, taugt aber durchaus für das nächste Grillfest.

Angenehm, manchmal langweilig. Aber mochte ich schon.

Just sounded like average 90's alt rock

Fine. Nothing special.

It was fine I guess. Bland and uninspiring but fine.

Beach Boys-esque

Shrugs. It's fine.

Still pretty good, but didn’t capture me all that much or leave me feeling overly inspired to return. This might be a style I need some time to warm up to. Definitely some enjoyable moments though and woah that closer will be on repeat for weeks. 1 listen Favorite Track: Is This Music?

Could be a 4

63/100. This is a band that I never really got into and this record feels like a pretty decent power pop release but nothing more than that. It is a solid example of the genre but it feels a bit like it is stuck in one gear throughout the whole tracklist.

Yeah i enjoyed this. Not a revelation

I enjoy the sadness and plodding tone, especially for something that at its core is power pop.

Decent. Early garage band/Britpop music. A few decent songs but mostly all sounded similar.

Me thinking I wouldn't know this band at all and then immediately being proven wrong by 'The Concept'. Great song, great start. I don't imagine the rest of this album is going to hit, but it's cool knowing the one hit going in. Sort of a middle of the road 90s sound.

You can see how Oasis/Muse/all that british midlands music evolved from this. Take any edge out of it but keep the lyrical content and the instrumentation out of this and that's what you get. Muse would evolve but this is so proto-Oasis I couldn't hear anything else. My favorite track out of this was the final one, which yes, I can answer that it is indeed Music. I wouldn't say the rest of it is forgettable but I listened to it an hour ago and I can barely remember any of it. It was fine, the songs were entertaining enough but I didn't get any wows out of it. Good enough I guess, and they seem to be a big deal in the UK music scene so I see why they're in here.

I bet if I were in a better mood I'd be more generous with my stars on this one, but it was kind of generic. Good power pop. Down the middle. Basic, perhaps. Not feeling why this was so highly regarded when it was released. This feels like the kind of album that everyone has in their collection but never grabs off the shelf to play.

This is just ok 90s garage band. Not much to to get excited about but also not much to be offended by.

Not bad

Didn't really stand out, but not bad.

Yep - early 90s guitar driven alternative punk inspired record. Nothing new to hear here. It’s fine - nothing ground breaking for sure.

I thought I’d heard of this band, and maybe I had, but I thought it was the Teenage Dirtbag band. I found out later that Teenage Dirtbag was performed by the band Wheatus, whom I’m not sure I’d ever heard of. It turns out the Teenage Fanclub is a Scottish alt-rock band that is pure 90s alt-rock. If someone asked me to give them the best example of alt-rock or even just rock in the 90s, I would put this album on. While the band had no huge hits off this album, the three singles they released received a ton of airplay in 1991-1992. Beyond that, the critics loved TF’s music, and this album made several all-time greatest albums lists, including the 1,001 Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die. I sat down and began listening to track one, The Concept, which was probably their biggest song at the time, and it's pure 90s alt-rock. It’s really good, even though I was still holding on by my fingernails to hair metal and metal during this time. I never watched 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield because alt-rock was for nerds. I found out in my later years that I’m a nerd, and I was missing out on some of what is now my favorite music. The album is full of short instrumental tracks like track 2, Satan, that are kind of palate cleansers, I guess. Or they were songs they liked but couldn’t really fill out enough. Track 3, December, was where I began to form a picture of what was going on at this time. During the 1990’s, alt-rock bands and their fans had fallen in love with a band called Big Star. Big Star was a Memphis band active from 1971 to 1975. The group didn’t have a long career, but, in the years after the band broke up, their music gained a cult following and pretty much influenced 90s rock. Big Star could be described as power pop. It’s like rock songs that have a pop sheen to them and would sound just as good on pop radio as they would on rock radio. For me, Cheap Trick is a great powerpop band. Cheap Trick can rock with the best of them, but they make music that can play on pop radio. Well, not today, today now bands with real instruments can play on pop radio. Beyond the rock music, there are great vocal harmonies and guitar hooks that get stuck in your head. Teenage Fanclub sounds like they worshipped at the altar of Big Star. In fact, I’ve dabbled a little in Big Star because I remember the band getting shout-out after shout-out in the 90s. I listened to their three albums and thought they were good, but I think I wasn’t open-minded enough to fully appreciate them. I imagine all three of their albums will be on this list as they are all in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. Now, I know I’ve spent most of this writing about Big Star, and the album is by Teenage Fanclub. I did this to say, this album is really good. But I’m torn, as I’m not sure I like this album because I really like it, or because it's nostalgia of a time in my life where I was having the most fun just being a knucklehead, or because I recognized Big Star as their biggest influence and am just being an ego-driven music nerd. Whatever the case, I think this is a fun album, and beyond the alt-rock of it, there are a lot of great fuzzy guitars throughout with some cool solos. I’m not sure it’s as must-listen today as it was back then, but if you’re a Big Star fan or a huge fan of 90s alt-rock, I think this should definitely be on your radar.

3⭐️/5 [03.08.2026] 03.11.2026

Favorite Track: Star Sign

No disponible en Chile salvo una canción,

The first song is very representative of how I feel about the entire album. Some of it is a little too evocative of that 90s alternative rock sound that I’m not a huge fan of (first half). Then we get a really spacey, Pink Floyd sound (second half) that I’m a huge fan of. 3.5

It's an easy listen, and there's nothing wrong with that, but people who love this album also have vanilla as their favorite flavor of ice cream. (2.5)

Good rock album, nothing that really grabbed me but solid enough.

Actually a pretty unique album all things considered. It didn't immediately grab me, but the fun mix of shoegaze and indie rock caught my attention enough that I'll definitely be coming back to this one. Especially considering this only came out in 1991, they were definitely ahead of their time already using shoegaze in combination with other genres, despite how new of a genre it still was at the time. And because of that it's clear how much improvement there still was to be done, but it definitely lays the groundworks for shoegaze to be experimented with in other ways beyond what this album manages to do.

Don't remember the name Teenage Fanclub back in the day, but after listening, December and What You Do To Me sounded familiar. Were these the radio hits? Too busy to lookup at the moment. Thought this was a pretty solid album from start to finish. The more I listened, the more I thought of TJAMC, of which I am a big fan. Satan, after The Concept took me by surprise, in a good way. All in all, really enjoyed the listens. Nothing really mind blowing, but just a good all around album. December probably my favorite song, but just thought all the songs and sounds were pretty good. Nicer way to restart my reviews after vacation. 3.5

3.5 Been a minute since my last review - I spent two weeks on vacation and then about two weeks catching up on work. Fortunately, I think this album largely benefited from that. When I first heard it, I thought it was nothing special, but it’s grown on me largely since that time a month ago. It definitely has that lo-fi, slacker rock sort of sound to it that I love in bands like Sonic Youth and as of more recently, The Dandy Warhols, and while I don’t know if I would say Teenage Fanclub pull it off quite as successfully, it results in a pretty enjoyable album nonetheless. A lot of it admittedly blends together, something I think can be attributed to the one-note production, but at the same time, it never results in anything that’s less than pretty good. In many ways, I appreciated the hazy ambience that hangs about this, one that almost feels shoe-gazey at times (or maybe it is? Idk genres are hard). Weirdly though, I feel like my favorite song here was actually the closer, Is This Music? I don’t usually prefer instrumentals, but despite its borderline shrill nature, I actually found the thing to be a huge earworm and something that I looked forward to each time as the album closed. It also helps that it's the most unique-sounding song here by a mile. Not much else to say on this one - I don’t think it does anything special, but it’s worth checking out if you’re into the genre. Even Wikipedia doesn’t have much to say about this, but it does contain a gem about how Gene Simmons sued the band over the album cover, alleging KISS owns the imagery for a money bag with a dollar symbol on it… because of course he did. F that dude.

The magic is in the dose. Catchy hooks + vaguely meaningful lyrics + whatever instrumentals = apparently an enjoyable album?

OG weezer vibes. Pleasant background. Artist description on Spotify makes them sound really full of themselves despite their simple discography...

Sympa

Terrible art for an average album. Liked it more than I thought and I’m probably giving it less credit than it deserves but it’s just like a really good local band in your town made a good album. Satan is my favorite song on here because it goes so dumb after that way too long of an intro but then nothing happens. Not bad at all, just not something that sticks out to me as a hidden gem or classic.

I think it just sounds so of the time, which means for a lot of people I think it sounds a little dated. Some decent guitars for me, catchy songs, very early 90’s transition from sad indie music into taking things a little heavier bridging into emo I think (I’m sure fans of those genres will disagree). So yeah I think it’s alright, and an easy listen overall. I think if this was your favourite artist/album I would judge you though.

Mellow but catchy

listened to in chunks but want to come back!

Never listened before. Feel like I need to go back and spend more time with it. 3.5 stars

I thought this album started really strong, but I found myself checking in toward the middle and end of the album. I really enjoyed the guitar work, the solos almost sound Gilmore-esque to me. I wasn't crazy about the vocals though. Not bad overall. CERTAINLY shouldn't be in contention for 1991 AOTY over Nevermind, but I won't hold it against the band.

Houmous & Chutney are the greatest alternative rock band of all time, I’m not sure why these guys ever tried? 3.4 3/12 December

Never heard of this band. I like it. Cool melodies and riffs. A little too brokenhearted for me, but 14 year old me would have spent hours with this album.

Pretty neat.

Liked it but wasn’t completely blown away. Sounded like pre-Brit pop fare which may be doing it a disservice but I didn’t have anything that really shook may as being out of the ordinary.

This was pretty cool. The album really throws you in, like the second song is quite an emotional swell that I think most artists would push towards the end of an album. Caught my attention. I like the warmth and jangly/fuzzy sounds throughout.

I have a soft spot for Scottish salt-rock, but this is a little uneven

Eh it was okay, probably won't add to the rotation but enjoyed it enough.

I like it but it’s not blowing my ass off

this is the kind of music that would play in the background while I work a grungy retail job in a touristy small town

pretty cool. it's got this early 2000's hit flavor to it where i feel like i should've heard some of these songs on the radio a hundred times. it's impressive how much they nail their niche but that niche isn't the spiciest or most exciting brand of rock. like maybe this would've blown my mind in '91? still, generally pleasant vibes, even if it doesn't move me particularly. although Is This Music? is a really sick riff, few more of those in the album and we'd be cookin. *strong* 3

This is the type of music that usually does something for me but honestly this really was mostly whatever. Not bad but not particularly good or interesting either. 6/10

Definition of mids.

I definitely think these guys listened to Bob Mould. I mean, this is a very good record, in spite of the cover. But I think I would have liked it more 25 years ago. This list has given me a whole bunch of fuzzy 90s britpop and alt rock all grouped together, and I am realizing that a lot of it just doesn't do much for me right now.

This is probably a 4 star album. Sounds a little bit like The Stone Roses, but at the same time it's its own thing. Definitely need to revisit later.

Much as I like Teenage Fanclub, I’ve never really clicked with this one. I find it odd that this is the album of theirs people always cite as a classic. It’s got a very sludgy sound to it and the songs feel a little half-baked compared to their fresher, more fully-formed records that followed. It feels very much of its time although some tunes, like Metal Baby and What You Do To Me provide indications of the band they’d grow into. Grand Prix is my go-to album of theirs.

Perfectly alright. Nothing too crazy but it was enjoyable. Unlikely to revisit.

Nothing too much to say; wasn't super good nor super bad.

While this isn't horrible, it's pretty dull.

Álbum promedio de rock prog, divertido

such a good modern classic. I’ve heard of Teenage Fanclub but this was such a fun listen the grungy guitars and drumming made my day. Tracks I enjoyed were ‘The Concept’, ‘Star Sign’ and ‘Pet Rock’ A good 3.5/5-GEMV (26.01.2026)

Nice 90s mellow rock. A couple great solo jams. Probably I won't listen to it again. 2.5/5

Surprisingly solid indie rock/power pop type stuff from the early 90s. It's really funny that people got mad about this beating out Nevermind to the #1 spot

Very solid album all around, but outside of the guitar player who's kind of sick with it, they're not doing anything super memorable or unique. Can't bash it, can't adore it! Standouts: The Concept • Sidewinder • Is This Music?

I really enjoyed this one, then I tried going through it a second time and my opinion fell a little. A good album that made me interested in checking out more from this band, but there was nothing that stand out here.

The Concept. What a tune!

A fine album, but it is shocking that Nevermind lost to it in Spin's albums of the year in 1991. There's some parts that are good, and I like the sound of 90s rock/alt, but it also didn't stand out in any amazing way.

Okay

I listened to this album at the gym. From what I remember I liked it and it had a cohesive sound. 3/5 stars.

You know how in Hollywood when they make an adaptation of a property like Judge Dredd or John Carter or Flash Gordon, one of the criticisms is that it feels derivative of something like Robocop or Star Wars, when in fact those properties were the inspiration? That’s how I felt listening to this record. I got a lot of Weezer vibes listening to it, so much so that I googled when Weezer was formed and turned out this album came out a year before they became a group and four years before Weezer’s Blue album. Solid album imo but it’s funny to hear it and feel like it’s derivative when it’s not.

Das war cool! Die Gitarre hat einen richtig crunchigen Sound – das erinnert mich an Dinosaur Jr.

Good

I saw a review that suggested listening to this album twice, which was good advice I felt. I did indeed enjoy the album a lot more on a second play through, probably because I knew what to expect. The first couple of tracks start strong, but it devolves into power-pop rapidly. Kind of like a watered-down Sonic Youth meets Oasis. I think if the harmonies had been ditched, the guitar ramped up just a little, and the pop elements turned down just a little, then this could have been a really great album. But none of that happened, so I'm going with three stars.

Overraskende godt?😍

Non male

The Concept What You Do to Me Star Sign Alcoholiday

Solid album. I was a little surprised I didn’t recognize anything on this or really the band. Feels like we would’ve crossed paths. Will definitely check out more. 3.5 but it just didn’t have that something that made me want to round up. A very solid 3 that could evolve over time.

This was pretty solid. Probably needs a second listen for a proper rating...unlike Spin Mag, I gotta say I'd pick Nevermind over this album. LOL. 3.25/5

A power pop album that is kind of... forgettable. This record was released the exact same month and by the same label as 'Loveless'. Despite of being drop so close to such titanic work, this album seems to have done really well back then. From what I could read, they got enough fame to make a world tour, and it was also named one of the best releases of 1991, something which I disagree. The main problem with this project is how one-dimensional it is. Once passed the first four songs, almost everything follows the same ideas and melodies. To summarized, the majority are romantic songs with very soft voices, nice chord progressions, some noise moments and solos here and there, and a shoegaze type of production with very distorted guitars that build a very pleasant wall of sound. In paper, it sounds very good, but is the lack of variation and the songs being a bit too similar that makes the album a bit predictable once reached the half point. However, there are a couple of exception: First, there is 'Star Sign'. It was with no doubt my favourite one, and it also was the main single of it. It has a very atmospheric intro that is followed by the most energetic guitars of the album. It reminded me a lot to Dinosaur Jr, which is great. Then there's 'Satan', the worst song of the album and a super weird inclusion. It is one minute of pure noise followed by twenty seconds of a very hard riff. This track is very confusing. It feels like an idea that was never developed upon and that they decided to left it in instead of removing it. In conclusion, this is a decent album that sounds super pleasant but everything sounds way too alike.

Not sure how great this album is, but it well encapsulates the sound of that genre/era

I quite enjoyed this record with a lot of similarities to early oasis and britpop but also a lot of similarities to nirvana. The album didn’t blow me away as such , but there is definitely a few songs which I will be going back to.

Full disclosure. I’m Scottish and will listen with greater attention to try and find something to like within anything from my kin. Orange Juice and Cocteau Twins are two examples where active listening has brought unexpected delight. Teenage Fanclub were always floating about in recommendations from magazines and friends in my youth, but I could never get into them. Every song, to my ears, always seems like it gets up to the desired speed as quick as possibly then whacks on cruise control, which ultimately makes the majority of songs never get beyond the mundane. Quite a few reviews I’ve read on here whilst listening cite Oasis as a similar, earlier, sound. I can hear this. Overall, fine, but nothing I’d return to.

Well, I did it. I listened, neglected to rate, and the totally blanked on the album. I don’t think don’t I either particularly liked or didn’t like it. I’m too busy at present to re-listen so I’m granting myself a fuck it on this one. By default, it gets a three.

Hits super well on a couple tracks, but I dunno. It just made me yearn for some of the 90s' better noise pop records, because this just didn't stand out too much on the whole.

#818. This seems like high school talent show level music. Not terrible musicianship, but kind generic and a bit uninteresting overall. 3/5: fine?

Oh man.. December was a big song for me... twenty plus years ago. So nostalgic!

This is #day514 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some fine jangle/noise/alternative rock in the vein of the early '90s and all that. Creation Records on display, so to speak. A must hear before you die, though? Doubt it. Still, this is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day515.

Mediocre indie album. Some great guitar and vocals but nothing too interesting

Pretty generic

Pop with hints of grunge as well as the Beatles. Some radio-friendly tunes but all in all, very forgettable. A generous 3.

Enjoyed this one. 3.5/5

I do enjoy 90's alt rock. this one dragged a bit at times, but it had a good foundation.

Seems like a good album but the singers voice lacks a certain charm

Some good some less good. Why would anyone make Satan. Not bad overall.

It's like 12 tracks of music from that Fast Show indie club sketch.

Tyypillistä brittiläistä ysärirockia.

For some reason I expected it to be the sound to be a lot heavier, but the sounds and voices were brighter, youthful and more melodic. The album feels like we are following the ups and downs of a crush/relationship as reflected in certain songs (ex: metal baby). Some standouts included Pet Rock, which had a pretty groovy sound as it was closing out. The end of Satan felt like a nice taste of what I had originally pictured. Considering the sound, this album could have fit more in to the 2000s. I could see myself listening to this again.

Never heard of this band. Pretty typical 90s UK Indie sound and mellow vibe.

Better than Nevermind, as SPIN claimed? Not quite. But it's an inventive, catchy and well-written album that I could play repeatedly. And it won't get nearly as overplayed as Nevermind was. So good on them.

Quite a 3/5 band generally

Some nice bits. Not unpleasant by any means

Decent but a bit boring

Nadal surf been here or it's just me

I liked it. Nothing really stood out to me, but it was a pleasant listen. I liked the harmonies.

Wasn't bad but nothing stood out to me.

noisy good

2.7 3x

"December" "What You Do To Me" "Star Sign" and "Alcoholiday" were all decent, but the rest of this kinda bounced off me.

I'm very much in the middle when it comes to this record. It's got good singing, good production, and it kinda stays within one sound. There's a couple of songs that stand out but the album itself was fine. 3.0/5

The production really lets this album down. There's something great buried in here

pleasant to listen to but absolutely nothing to distinguish it from the dozens of other power pop bands of the time

3.5

A record I could never get that into. It has such a “90s indie” sound, and coming out in 1991, I’m sure part of this record’s notoriety is they were among the first to sound like this. But did they perfect the sound? I’m not sure. But is it a good record in general? Yep.

A thoroughly decent album. The first half gets off to an interesting start, moving from quintessential late 20th century rock on the opening track with a lengthy guitar solo to the in your face shoutiness of ‘Satan’, then back to more recognisable pop/rock. While the second track ends up a bit of an outlier, there’s decent variety throughout. You get some semi-grungey songs, others more britpoppy but (I would argue) a less acquired taste than the bands who made the genre famous. Could definitely hear from Foo Fighters / Biffy Clyro in there too. A strong 3 for me, definitely found it enjoyable but no wow factor to it.

5/10

Teenage Fanclub were a band highly rated by critics at the time, especially this and 1995's Grand Prix. Scottish indie outfit with fairly breezy enough tunes but not as accessible to ever garner great radio play. There was much better jangly guitar stuff earlier (the Smiths etc) and they'd also be outdone by the likes of Dodgy and the Lightning Seeds in the Britpop era. This is all fine but doesn't really go to the next level. I believe one magazine voted it album of the year for 1991 which is particularly bizarre when you consider what came out that year. Fine enough but I prefer Grand Prix (not sure if that's on here) better melodies and slicker production.