- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Praise indeed but then these hard-nosed softies are unique and this, make no mistake, is their "Definitely Maybe," the quintessential noise-pop set of the modern age.
-
They're too good to be true and plain as the nose on your face.
-
So believe it: this is the real thing, no-one’s crying wolf, not even Alan McGee.
-
It's a gut punch of a debut, and one that makes you believe Glasvegas are one of those rare, rare bands who might just have that perfect record in them.
-
Right now, I can’t think of a better album to listen to after having a shitty day. Glasvegas is a masterpiece of modern miscreant malaise.
-
There are definitely failings and shortcomings on display here, but they're substantially outweighed by moments when Glasvegas hit their target with a force that makes you believe they might well survive the more outrageous claims being made on their behalf.
-
Q MagazineThere's much here to justify Alan McGee's awe. [Oct 2008, p.148]
-
MojoThey confidently harness the emotion-sapping melodramas of the '60s girl group. [Oct 2008, p.108]
-
From the grim and gritty depths of east Glasgow, Glasvegas tout a sure-to-be-huge mix of ragged emotion and vintage vibrations straight out of the Phil Spector playbook.
-
This debut is mostly a collection of re-recorded singles so there aren’t any filler tracks. Excellent find, McGee.
-
The album’s a bit of a fluke, no question, but it’s also an absolute gem.
-
Glasgow quartet Glasvegas are a product of this world--frontman James Allen is even a former semipro footballer--and their remarkable debut gives voice to its fears, frustrations, and heartaches without succumbing to its cliches.
-
Thanks to a certain screw-it attitude and massive, enveloping soundscapes, Glasvegas is a deeply engrossing and relentlessly catchy introduction to a group that's hyped enough in Britain to have already generated plenty of backlash.
-
It's that mix of sad-sack circumstances and cautious optimism that makes the Scottish quartet's debut such a rich exercise in self-aware spleen-venting.
-
Glasvegas maybe won't change lives but with its rich indie wall-of-sound nostalgia trip, it should get a few kids delving through their influences and forming space-rock bands.
-
Under The RadarMarrying candidly introspective lyrics with an expansive, stadium-filling soundscape of shimmering guitars and crashing drums, Glasvegas must certainly rank as one of the debut albums of the year. [Year End 2008]
-
Glasvegas create wall-of-distortion melodrama that draws on the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sixties girl groups and the Velvet Underground's rain-dance pulse. It makes for a compelling blend of grays--lit by singer James Allan's high, bright hurrahs.
-
It's another debut album laid low by ravages of hype.
-
If you’re simply after retro thrills, though, these boozy anthems will provide you with one very happy hour.
-
Glasvegas are often compared to the Jesus and Mary Chain, another great Scottish band that worshiped Phil Spector and the whammy pedal, but Mary Chain’s appeal was a chilly remoteness. Glasvegas make it cool to care.
-
Frustrating but intermittently brilliant, Glasvegas could have made a strong EP, but instead stands as a flawed full-length that's been primped and stretched beyond its means.
-
In their rush to be the UK's most important band, they seem to have ignored restraint, charisma, and charm--the qualities that made them Next Big Thing candidates in the first place.
-
It's a textbook example of a promising debut from a humorless band that has nowhere to go but down after the opening cut.
-
Musically, this is a very good record, one that might have been worth as much as a 4.5 with a different vocalist.
-
Although his quartet's first LP has boozy punch, even with two bonus tracks, the Scots' eponymous debut still feels padded.
-
Glasvegas is determinedly provincial, insisting there is grandeur in everyday lives. But what sounds rousing in Britain can sound sodden and overwrought to American ears.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 45 out of 58
-
Mixed: 5 out of 58
-
Negative: 8 out of 58
-
KymP.Jan 7, 2009
-
Jan 11, 2012
-
JoeyDApr 7, 2009Best U2 cover band I've heard in a while!