Electric Cables

Twenty five years into his career, Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub fame is making his first foray into the solo arena. Electric Cables is an airy, melodic album recorded with a sprinkling of other indie rock heavyweights under the alias Lightships. Love, who sings and plays bass in Teenage Fanclub, recruited friends and fellow Glaswegians Tom Crossley of The Pastels, Belle & Sebastian’s Bob Kildea, current Fanclub guitarist Dave McGowan, and former member Brendan O’Hare for the project. The result is an intimate, multi-layered record with quirky arrangements and an introspective, cerebral feel. Crossey’s flute trills, Love’s soft, ethereal vocals and tremelo guitar and the keyboard-xylophone combo make for some interesting, experimental tracks – but, as a whole, Electric Cables is so soft and mellow that one hardly registers the transition from one song to the next. Love’s fluidity is impressive, but the slow pace and mild tone wear thin. Stand-out track, ‘Silver And Gold’ is a mellifluous, dreamlike song reminiscent of early ‘60s, Byrds-era pop with a sparkling harmony-driven chorus. Overall, Electric Cables is an attractively intimate chillwave record – that’s perhaps just a bit too carefully controlled.