Glasvegas - band of the future?

At the moment I dig Glasvegas! And no one have written reviews about them here. (Maybe because musicmag Gaffa havn't read the new Q Magazine yet?) It's the sound of young Scotland, and the most exciting thing to come out of the scottish gutter of Dalmarnock, Glasgow, since the Jesus and Mary Chain in the 80s. Amazing, some would say.

At least that was what the scottish musicindustry mogul Alan McGee said. (Right, that's the guy who founded independent label Creation and signed Oasis). Just listen how big these guys think they can be! - Scotland's Sunday Herald made a late but patriotic challenge by proclaiming Glasvegas' eponymous debut The Best Scottish Album Ever, but Allan McGee had already hyped the band into another dimension: "Defined an entire decade of UK rock'n'roll with one tune ... change British working class culture ... easily eclipsed every modern band in the UK ..."

I've taken their debut-album for quite some spins and find it really, really interesting. But not groundbreaking nor a miracle. But hey, I'm not from Scotland. Maybe that's why I can hear some prentiousness in their tunes, like Starsailor debut with Phil Spector behind the knobs.

Glasvegas has a huge sound, which can make you feel like you step into some really important meeting without being the least prepared. Insted you just got annoyed. But when you are over it or really ready for it, there are moments which are reaaaaaly good. The band have a drummer who plays standing up, a love for 60s girl groups and a guitar-wall that produces an expansive, echoing shimmer.

When this works, it really works. Frontman James Allan writed wonderful, socialrealistic lyrics, which mirrors all the problems in the crime-ridden city of Glasgow. Daddy's Gone is a divorce saga, Flowers and Football Tops is powerful and melodic sweet, in deep contrast to the lyrics about the murder of Glaswegian teenager Kriss Donald. Geraldine sounds like a love song until its protagonist is revealed to be a social worker and so on.

Metallica had a global release plan for their new album Death Magnetic. The only country where Metallica postponed the release were in England. Why? Glasvegas album.

I'm not sure Glasvegas will create revolution like Oasis did, but at least they have the drive and the sound to do it. At least in United Kingdom. I'm exited about Glasvegas, so give them a spin!

Glasvegas - Geraldine

Glasvegas - It's my own cheating heart...