Man-Made

While this may not be the best Teenage Fanclub cd, it is the best cd of 2005. I have the other TF cds including Howdy and the one with Jad Fair. I'm a big fan of Big Star and those Bands that have used Big Star as a launcing pad. This along with bands like the Apartments, the Auteurs, the Go-Betweens, and the Chills can keep your cd changer and mind filled. While the Velvet Crush may not be able to mine anything on Man-Made, you will find the influences you are looking for. Love where 60's music meets maturity, you can't go wrong here.

Great sounding set of songs that are infectious and warming. Enjoy at low a volume for light background or crank it up to drive a high energy party.Definitely my fave disc from this band.

Best id their albums beginning yo end

For those of you who (unfairly) criticize this latest effort by the vastly underappreciated Teenage Fanclub as being lackluster, I wish to offer a different interpretation. Yes it is a subdued and carefully-produced effort, in keeping with their later work rather than the Bandwagonesque-era looseness and feedback-drenched Big Star rock. But it is not without soul or passion. It is simply a more relaxed record, more sculpted, more careful. The music still flows nicely, the lyrics are stronger than usual, and hooks abound. Just about every song has worthwhile aspects anda high level of attention to detail. It is obvious to me that the band put a lot into this one, from picking a new producer to writing a collection of grade-A material. Why only 4 stars then? Well, Bandwagonesque is classic, and a high, high bar was set way back when. If this came from anyone else, maybe 5 stars would be more in line.For those of you who are new to Fanclub and have stumbled onto this page by accident, let me tell you, you have to buy either the best-of collection or Bandwagonesque, or both. Really. Then you will want all the rest. I cheered when Nirvana kicked Michael Jackson off the charts in 1991 or whenever that was, but I would have cheered far more if Fanclub had subsequently booted Nirvana from those charts. It could have happened- for all the Cobain-tragedy publicity, Fanclub writes better songs. This band has been quietly and unpretetiously chugging along since 1990 at least, while nobody seems to really notice. Give them your support, they are a treasure.

I've been a fan of this band for almost 14 years. From the time I first heard "Star Sign" and "What You Do To Me" back in late 1991, I was hooked for life. Sure, there will probably be not another "Bandwagonesque" album in their future, but with songs like "It's All In My Mind"- it doesn't matter.And that opening cut, "It's All In My Mind" is worth the price of the album alone. It has such a heart-rendering melody it ranks up their with the band's best songs. In fact, this song is one of the best of 2005.The Fannies have caught some flak for "going through the motions" with this album. But it is far form their worst ("Songs From Northern Britain" has that honor, only because it has only two GOOD songs on it).Nonetheless, long live Teenage Fanclub. I wish them the best of luck. May they bless us with many more terrific albums.And when this band ceases to exsist, a light will go out in the world.

This record marks a return to form for the fannies, whose last record, Howdy, was a little disappointing. Man-Made is a quality effort that is more subversive than any of their previous efforts- the wonderful harmonies are still there, but there is an underlying maturity throughout the record that sets it apart as a new direction for a band that was in danger of becoming stale.The increased songwriting participation of guitarist Ray McGinley is probably the major factor in this. His songs have always been the most layered of all the band's catalogue, and on this record he really shines.Having seen them live recently, I must say that they are still one of the best indie bands going around, and while they are not part of the british angular rock revival movement, you can bet that all of the hot bands right now owe a massive debt to this great band.

The three song writers from TFC (and stellar drummer Francis MacDonald) offer up yet another solid grouping of melodic rock songs. Repeated listens bring out all the subtle, nuances in the hook-laden material. It's difficult to pick a favorite from the 12 songs here as one great song is followed by another. The production is spot-on. Longtime fans will revel in this; folks new to TFC might want to pick up the previous collection "Shortcut to TFC" before, and inevitably, buying the rest of their back catalog. Long live TFC!

I am a huge fan, but I admit this one really disappointed me...at first. The vocals are often very low in the mix and the TFC keep getting mellower with every record. I put this one away for a week and just went back to it. It really is starting to grow on me...it's taken longer than any of their other records, so hang in there! It'll be worth it!