++ALBUM++ review by Danny Revolver
They may be on the tip of the national tongue, but can Glasvegas make their epic sound stretch across a whole record? Danny Revolver finds out as he reviews their muchos anticipated debut...
Thanks largely to their frontman’s unrepentant decision to wear sunglasses 24 hours a day, this group already feel strangely iconic, and you can feel the national fever rising as the release of their debut record swings into view.
All of a sudden people everywhere – even people who you always suspected didn’t actually listen to music - are asking ‘Who Are Glasvegas?” And it’s no surprise: after a fairy epic stampede through the summer festivals, hype has been overtaken by word of mouth.
"if sadness isn’t even your temporary disposition, it can feel somewhat 2D..."
And as long as you know what you’re letting yourself in for - ie, misery and release from misery - this record won’t disappoint. Glasvegas have found the DNA code for The Anthem – and have injected it right into the heart of every single song.
It’s the sound of people running out of trauma, running out of a bad relationship, running out of the pub, and letting out a war cry as the sun sets on their tragic past. As such, from ‘Geraldine’ to ‘Daddy’s Gone’, the groove is set to ‘Epic Spector’.
The band step out of their light-bath to provide us with something more interesting on ‘Stabbed’ – a spoken word communication between a stab victim and his attacker set to Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’. It’s eerie, like a particulary dark scene from Mike Leigh’s ‘Naked’.
There are a lot of broken hearted people out there, who’ll doubtless find some kind of faith in Glasvegas: the record seems to reach out it’s hand with reconciliation. On the other hand, if sadness isn’t even your temporary disposition, it can feel somewhat 2D. On their next record, they'll need more than tempo changes to differentiate the songs.
++ Danny Revolver ++
Artrocker rating: 2
