Electric Cables

Singer, songwriter and bassist, Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub front his new project, Lightships. In recent times, Gerard has been very much part of The Pastels, who operate occasional Domino imprint, Geographic. The idea of an album of Gerard Love songs burned for a long time until eventually label enthusiasm prevailed, and Gerard agreed that it was an idea that he too was excited about. From the outset, Gerard was clear that he wanted to establish a group name for the record, a name that was evocative and ambiguous, that could somehow place the music within a slightly blurry and imagined context. He didn't want to give the impression that the record was just about him. Having settled on the name, Lightships, he sought out a cast of Glasgow-based friends to play on the record that was starting to take shape in his head; Dave McGowan (guitar, Teenage Fanclub), Brendan O'Hare (drums, from the first incarnation of Teenage Fanclub), Tom Crossley (flute, International Airport and The Pastels) and Bob Kildea (bass, Belle & Sebastian). The overall sound, while as warm and immediate as the songs Gerard writes for Teenage Fanclub, is more free flowing and loose. Muddy Rivers is carried along on a wave of interlocked instrumentation while Photosynthesis is a hazy wash of flutes and echo. On Silver And Gold, Gerard sings with a falsetto before a chorus of harmonies bursts into life. With this music it's as if he was looking to express something more personal, eccentric and introspective. Electric Cables is an album of tender, observational songs, played with an invigorating and easy sense of purpose; the sound of friends enjoying one another's company and allowing ideas and experiments to flourish. It's a complex and rewarding record that you'll want to keep coming back to. Slow illumination.