release date: May 4, 1992
format: cd (RAIN004CD)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Troels Bech & The Greene Brothers
label: Cloudland - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 1. "Tomorrow" - 2. "About Leaving & Being Left" - 3. "Happy Day" - 4. "Love Made Me a Better Man" - 5. "Teenage Museum" - 8. "Someday"
Studio album debut by Danish band Greene (1986-'96) - originally named Green but an American band already played under that name, so still of '86 they changed the band name to Greene, which here consists of the two brothers Olesen: Peter on vocals, and younger brother Henrik on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Marco de Andreis on lead guitar, Kim Borreby on bass, and with Flemming Borby on piano and drums. The band changed its line-up a few times and progressed from being a trio at the formation in '86 to here constitute a quintet with ex-members of several other bands. The brothers Olesen previously played in the post-punk band Sort-Hvide Landskaber (1982-83, formerly Reaktion, and around 1984 as Skizo Kids); Marco Andreis had been guitarist in the acclaimed band Moral before joining Greene; Kim Borby is credited on bass - he has recently replaced Jens Unmack, who remains credited 'additional personnel' on guitar, but he previously played in Næste Uges TV from 1980-84 and was stable bassist of Greene from 1986-92; Flemming Borby (aka Labrador from 2000, Montblanc from 2011) had already played in various bands, e.g. Sport Art, Poets of the Signature, later The Poets, and he became keyboardist and drummer in Greene in '88. Also producer Troels Bech is a central figure of The Poets. The reason to Unmack leaving the band is most likely because of his increased focus on 'his' long-lasting band Love Shop, formed as early as in '86, and who debuted in 1990 with the album 1990.
Teenage Museum is written and composed by 'The Greene Brothers' (Peter & Henrik), except for the cd bonus track #11 "White Shirt", which is a cover originally by Sort Sol. Musically, Greene plays indie pop / jangle pop with inspiration from bands like The Go-Betweens, The Church, Aztec Camera, The Smiths, as well as a more hard rocking acts like T. Rex and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and with a strong bond to the punk rock scene from which Greene later took its starting point.
I already knew of both Moral, The Poets, Sort-Hvide Landskaber og Næste Uges TV, and I actually recall when the album came out. It was well-received by critics, and the songs #3 and #4 were played occasionally on national radio, but the album simply didn't attract a greater audience. Greene released three studio albums from '92-96, and never made the move from cult to practical success, and after disbanding, the brothers Olesen continued more successfully with their duo-project Olesen-Olesen.
I like many of the songs on the album, but also see it as a rather incoherent release pointing in too many directions. Yes, it's indie pop / indie rock with inspiration from many sources, and the most obvious weakness is that it's not entirely original in sound and style. Some songs are jangle pop-founded with strong bonds to contemporary artists but e.g. track #4, which was one of the most popular songs, sounds more like heavily inspired by the glam rock practised by T. Rex or Bowie in the early '70s, and the whole package remains rather inconsistent, which makes you wonder where they would go from here. That said, it's still performed with musical quality and a good amount of pure talent.
The cover art is made by Sort Sol bassist Knud Odde.
