Glasgow's finest (Glasvegas - Glasvegas)

Member Name: leetemplar

Product:	Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Date:	05/01/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great, atmospheric, uplifting album

Disadvantages: A bit samey

It took me a while to warm to black-clad Glaswegian indie four-piece Glasvegas, but after a couple of listens on the radio and some very high rankings in most newspapers' 'Best of 2008' polls, I decided to give it a go when I saw it in the HMV sale.

And I'm glad I did - on their self-titled debut, the band produce a beautiful soundscape that is as touching as it is ambitious, and is both dark and brooding, yet similtaneously uplifting. The most obvious reference point is shoegazing bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain, but it also owes a sizable debt to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production of the 1960s.

Standout tracks include the singles 'Flowers and Football Tops', 'Go Square Go!' and 'Geraldine', the latter song being rather unfashionable lyrically, being one that champions social workers.

The downside of the album is that it does rather run into one, with each track not sounding wildly different from the last, and some may find the wordy, emotional songs a little cloying. But if you want a big-hearted, atmospheric candle-waver of an album you really could do worse than this.

Summary: A great album