Ok, so at the risk of this turning into a music blog, I recently got a copy of the Glasvegas album, released on September 8th. I had heard about them on the Guardian Music Weekly Podcast, and liked some of the snippets of songs like Geraldine that Paul played.
First impressions, I really like it. Its a difficult one to describe, the total sound. Its just huge. Its reverb, circling notes and guitars clanging in the nicest possible way, and sound like they are bing played a million miles away, but with some kind of ghostly clarity. This might be twee, but it almost sounds bagpipey, the melody melts and blends, so that it complements the more defined vocal and rythm sections. Pounding drums and crashing symbols make up the final sound, and to be honest, rather than sounding like a fire in a music shop, it really works, all the layers are more than a sum of their parts.
The opener Flowers and Football Tops, which is written from the point of view of a father reflecting on the murder of his son, is simply magnificent and, I can only imagine, it captures the inability to understand, and the distracted though process. (I dare anyone to listen all the way through without feeling moved). This is followed up by Geraldine, another beautiful song this time about a “social worker” who describes herself as a guardian angel. Other standouts for me at least are Daddy’s Gone, Go Square Go and S.A.D. Light.
Stabbed is one which will stick in the listeners head most though, using Beethoven as the backdrop to retell a story of confrontation with a gang, the Young Baltic Fleeto, and maybe a knife. Allen doesn’t sing, he bitterly recites the lyrics, “No cavalry could ever save me/I’m gonna get stabbed”, before deciding to run rather than fight. Its a raw song, and one that shows the fear of knife crime in a way that other songwriters just can’t seem to grasp.
I suppose that is the best way of describing Glasvegas, they are raw band. Allen sings every lyric in a broad Glasgow accent, which lends greater meaning to the emotion he is conveying. Emotion and fragility comes through what some have described as a wall of sound tracing its roots back to Phil Spector, Elvis, the Jesus and Mary Chain. These guys mean business too, an estimated 100,000 sales in the first three days of release, and already talking about their next record, a Christmas one no less.
Glasvegas are a definate must have for music fans this September. I fear the album might be marmite, some will love it, some will hate it, but for god sake, do yourself a favour and listen to it.
