Rating: NNNNN
As one of three songwriters in Teenage Fanclub, Gerard Love can be counted on to write a love song that’s both musically gorgeous and lyrically surprising – the kind of song you wish you’d written, or that someone had written for you.
Under the name Lightships, Love has free rein, and the 10 songs on his solo debut venture down an even more dreamlike, romantic path than those he records with his day band. Numerous titles (not to mention the band name) make reference to sun and light, and he’s not being ironic this is a blatantly hopeful record.
Even the instrumentation – flutes, gentle guitar and various keyboard sounds – evoke a sense of ease and airiness. With a band made up of old friends, Love has made a seemingly effortless record that reveals more with every listen.
Top track: Sweetness In Her Spark