Meh.
The glossy sheen of Phil Spectors Christmas Gift, the look of the Jesus and Mary Chain, the local dialect of Rab C Nesbitt and the sort of hype than even Chuck D would struggle to not believe in. All that and a really shite name brings us to Glasvegas and lets face it, you will have made your mind up about them by now already. Some of you may even have made your mind up without hearing a note by them so is there much point in carrying on with the rest of this review?
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Okay, it looks as though there is and speaking as a 100% Weegie here, the lyrical delivery is extremely cringe-worthy and makes this track really difficult to listen to. Sure phrases like “lonely wan”, “yer da” and “what kinda wai” will delight the middle classes and the Scots who revel in all things overtly Scottish but really, it just doesn’t sound good on the ears. If my niece or the nephew came into the house talking in that sort of manner they would soon be told to speak properly and if they two can do it, theres no reason why Glasvegas can’t! Of course, they are nowhere near as bad or as cringe-inducing as The Proclaimers but by God, the day being better than The Proclaimers is used as a compliment is the day we should end it all.
The thing you need to remember is that Glasvegas have been heavily backed by Alan McGee, a man dining out on former glories that are not so much stone cold now but more accurately evaporated into thin air. Yet he still knows a few tricks and can pull a few punches and you have to say that much of this is the reason for Glasvegas being at the level they currently are. In the greater scheme of things, are Glasvegas any better than the 1990s, another Glaswegian act? No and they aren’t the match of a bundle of local Glaswegian or Edinburgh bands who are producing far better material than this, with Saint Judes Infirmary and The State Broadcasters two names that should be considered before you even contemplate Glasvegas.
Still, the Spector light sound is appealing and given Spectors appeal and sometimes influence on this writer (yes to wall of sound, not so favourable regards guns and domestic abuse) there is a slightly likable element to the cleaned up version of this track but it still falls way short of The Raveonettes modern take on the 60s super sound. With news that the next Glasvegas release will be a Christmas EP or album, you can probably rest assured it will sound good although song titles like “Away In A Malky” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Jakey” may be pushing the Glaswegian element a little too strongly.
Hype or no hype, it’s still really difficult to determine if this song is likable or not (although this polished version is far superior to previously released versions) and when music leaves you with no recognizable opinion, you have to worry about its overall impact. Meh.