Do Not Dare to Dream - Teenage Fanclub [VINYL]

Teenage Fanclub's 'Do Not Dare to Dream' takes its name from Norman Blake's 'I Do Not Dare to Dream', an infectious anthemic song driven by ringing acoustic guitars, joined at the end by duelling electric guitars that wrap around each other like a reassuring hug. Blake says that the title is meant to mock those memes that urge people to 'dare to dream', which to him are 'kind of ridiculous... I don't think the world works that way'. Teenage Fanclub's 13th album is full of songs that are calmly resolute, taking stock of the fraught state of the world without succumbing to despair. Blake's warm, organ washed midtempo ballad 'Day In the Sun' and Raymond McGinley's 'Over and Over' both speak to how everyone can find a renewed sense of purpose by opening their hearts. 'We can still be cheerful and optimistic in the face of things not being great', McGinley says. 'My parents' generation lived in Glasgow when there were bombs falling out of the sky. And here we are, however many years later. Things change'. Blake and McGinley are joined on 'Do Not Dare to Dream' by their bandmates Euros Childs (keyboards and vocals), Francis Macdonald (drums) and David McGowan (bass). This quintet has played together long enough now that neither of Teenage Fanclub's principal songwriters and guitarists feel the need to fuss over their songs or work up arrangements before they enter the studio. They'd rather wait for the rest of the group's input.

Disc 1
1. There Was You - Teenage Fanclub
2. Tomorrow People - Teenage Fanclub
3. Over and Over - Teenage Fanclub
4. Be With You Tonight - Teenage Fanclub
5. The Same Air - Teenage Fanclub
6. I Do Not Dare to Dream - Teenage Fanclub
7. Take Time - Teenage Fanclub
8. Day in the Sun - Teenage Fanclub
9. Somewhere to Land - Teenage Fanclub
10. Young and Wise - Teenage Fanclub