Midland Vibes

Teenage Fanclub Do Not Dare To Dream

Tracks: There Was You, Tomorrow People, Over And Over, Be With You Tonight, The Same Air, I Do Not Dare To Dream, Take Time, Day In The Sun, Somewhere To Land, Young And Wise

Label: Merge

Aligning with Ridley Scott, Norman Blake seems to be more prolific than ever as he enters his seventh full decade on the planet; creating as much art as possible, seemingly being his raison d’être.

Following the Fannies’ 2023 Nothing Lasts Forever and last year’s side-project Butler, Blake & Grant, Blake and (day job) co. return with Teenage Fanclub’s 13th full-length album. Opening with There Was You, a playful, folksy and upbeat song about how magical surprises can interrupt otherwise predetermined lives, Do Not Dare To Dream gets off to an engaging start. There’s an easy warmth to the song, but also a sense that the album might be setting its ambitions rather lower than some of the band’s finest work.

That’s not to say there aren’t pleasures here. Tomorrow’s People has the sort of melodic charm that has long been one of the Fannies’ greatest strengths, while the title track finds Blake in reflective, understated form. Throughout, the playing is assured and the familiar harmonies remain pleasingly intact. Yet, for all its craft, the record rarely produces the moments that make Teenage Fanclub at their best so difficult to resist.

The problem is less one of quality than of impact. Do Not Dare To Dream lacks the sustained consistency of an album such as Howdy! and doesn’t quite deliver a song with the irresistible pop immediacy of Sparky’s Dream. Too many of the tracks settle comfortably into the background rather than demanding repeated listens, leaving the album feeling more pleasant than essential.

Workmanlike and dependable, it’s nevertheless always good to have new Teenage Fanclub material to spend time with, particularly from a band whose longevity has never come at the expense of their ability to make records on their own terms. But if Norman Blake’s remarkable creative output is anything to go by, this feels more like a chapter than a conclusion.

For now, though, this is Gladiator II rather than Alien: recognisable, competently made and enjoyable enough, but unlikely to alter anyone’s view of what came before. The good news is that there’ll probably be another Norman Blake project along before too long – and, as ever, we’ll be looking forward to hearing it.