Listening to the Glasvegas album, it's a damn sight better than I expected it to be for sure. They've got quite a wall of sound thing going on and for my tuppence worth, that percussive drum throb is perfect. In this world, Del Shannon is a denizen of the Bar-L and he's discovered the missing link between the Mary Chain and Suicide. Visions of The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las and Julee Cruise are rattling around the pot too. This almost has me convinced that I need to see them. In a bid to figure out whether it's a hoax or not. Where did this come from? Why the hell does it hit the spot?? Even when the vocals sound like Slik era, Midge Ure??? And will there be a subtitled version for consumption outwith this country of ours???
It sounds like Badalamenti scoring a West Coast of Scotland Irvine Welsh type fable and these are anthemic supercharged folk ballads. The doo-wop element of The Ramones is right here too, shit, "Daddy's Gone" sounds like he's channelling Joe at one point. You gotta be powerless against that. Maybe that's the kryptonite that got me, I really can't explain it and as the fugue of "Ice Cream Van" fades you may well get a chill like you're standing too close to the freezer.
I still don't like the band name and the McGee association still niggles but in spite of myself, this sound is the stuff of champions. Past, present and future.
