> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

67 Trace Adkins
58 Akon
66 The All-American Rejects
91 Amadou & Mariam
73 Anathallo
81 Angil & The Hidden Tracks
89 Animal Collective
80 Antony And The Johnsons
58 David Archuleta
70 The Bad Plus
81 Belle & Sebastian
63 Dierks Bentley
61 Beyonce
72 The Bird And The Bee
79 Andrew Bird
64 Blackout Beach
72 Bon Iver
56 The BPA (Brighton Port Authority)
67 Brandy
64 The Bronx
70 Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
62 Cat Power
65 Tracy Chapman
65 Tony Christie
67 Coldplay
67 Keyshia Cole
53 Common
61 David Cook
71 Rivers Cuomo
62 Cut Off Your Hands
73 Dalek
77 Danielson
64 Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
79 Derek Trucks Band
74 Dido
62 Diplo
68 Alesha Dixon
80 Melinda Doolittle
61 Dragonette
75 Brian Eno + David Byrne
74 Fall Out Boy
82 Fennesz
71 Fight Like Apes
74 The Fireman
56 Jamie Foxx
71 Franz Ferdinand
50 The Fray
69 Free Blood
62 Ghostface Killah
74 Glasvegas
78 Glasvegas
78 The Gourds
70 Grampall Jookabox
64 Guns N' Roses
72 Anthony Hamilton
75 Lisa Hannigan
61 Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid
49 Hinder
81 Frida Hyvonen
63 The (International) Noise Conspiracy
81 Johann Johannsson
62 Tom Jones
76 Justice
69 The Killers
71 Mark Kozelek
75 K-The-I???
73 Femi Kuti
81 Late Of The Pier
71 Little Joy
74 Loney, Dear
64 Longwave
48 Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
82 Los Campesinos!
78 Love Is All
68 Ludacris
78 Luomo
66 Maroon 5
74 Matt & Kim
77 Max Tundra
64 Megapuss
74 Micah Blue Smaldone
50 Mudvayne
75 Musiq Soulchild
67 MV & EE With The Golden Road
73 A.C. Newman
49 Nickelback
70 Franz Nicolay
74 Notorious (Notorious B.I.G.)
74 Mark Olson & Gary Louris
70 Brad Paisley
93 Pavement
74 Phosphorescent
63 Plies
64 Robert Pollard
73 The Postmarks
82 Q-Tip
73 The Rapture
70 Lou Reed
69 Jonas Reinhardt
61 The Rifles
58 Kevin Rudolf
85 Scarface
59 Seal
74 Blake Shelton
78 The Sight Below
77 Slumdog Millionaire
88 The Smiths
40 Soulja Boy
64 Britney Spears
72 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
81 Taylor Swift
64 Take That
79 Telefon Tel Aviv
85 Thursday/Envy
71 J Tillman
70 T-Pain
66 Travis
54 The View
66 The Von Bondies
82 Butch Walker
59 Scott Weiland
74 Kanye West
55 White Lies
79 Wild Beasts
75 Wilderness
65 Wino
84 Neil Young
62 Zion I

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Glasvegas
by Glasvegas


7.3

based on 25 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 46 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)

Official Artist Site

The Scottish band's debut album was produced by Rich Costey and lead singer James Allen.

LABEL:	SonyBMG
RELEASE DATE:	06 January 2009
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Indie

NOTES: Original UK release 08 Sep 2008.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Observer Music Monthly

Praise indeed but then these hard-nosed softies are unique and this, make no mistake, is their "Definitely Maybe," the quintessential noise-pop set of the modern age.

Dot Music

It's a gut punch of a debut, and one that makes you believe Glasvegas are one of those rare, rare bands who might just have that perfect record in them.

New Musical Express

So believe it: this is the real thing, no-one’s crying wolf, not even Alan McGee.

Prefix Magazine

Right now, I can’t think of a better album to listen to after having a shitty day. Glasvegas is a masterpiece of modern miscreant malaise.

Billboard

It's that mix of sad-sack circumstances and cautious optimism that makes the Scottish quartet's debut such a rich exercise in self-aware spleen-venting.

Hartford Courant

Thanks to a certain screw-it attitude and massive, enveloping soundscapes, Glasvegas is a deeply engrossing and relentlessly catchy introduction to a group that's hyped enough in Britain to have already generated plenty of backlash.

NOW Magazine

This debut is mostly a collection of re-recorded singles so there aren’t any filler tracks. Excellent find, McGee.

PopMatters

The album’s a bit of a fluke, no question, but it’s also an absolute gem.

Spin

Glasgow quartet Glasvegas are a product of this world--frontman James Allen is even a former semipro footballer--and their remarkable debut gives voice to its fears, frustrations, and heartaches without succumbing to its cliches.

Q Magazine

There's much here to justify Alan McGee's awe. [Oct 2008, p.148]

Mojo

They confidently harness the emotion-sapping melodramas of the '60s girl group. [Oct 2008, p.108]

Hot Press

From the grim and gritty depths of east Glasgow, Glasvegas tout a sure-to-be-huge mix of ragged emotion and vintage vibrations straight out of the Phil Spector playbook.

The Guardian

There are definitely failings and shortcomings on display here, but they're substantially outweighed by moments when Glasvegas hit their target with a force that makes you believe they might well survive the more outrageous claims being made on their behalf.

Drowned In Sound

Glasvegas maybe won't change lives but with its rich indie wall-of-sound nostalgia trip, it should get a few kids delving through their influences and forming space-rock bands.

Under The Radar

Marrying candidly introspective lyrics with an expansive, stadium-filling soundscape of shimmering guitars and crashing drums, Glasvegas must certainly rank as one of the debut albums of the year. [Year End 2008]

Rolling Stone

Glasvegas create wall-of-distortion melodrama that draws on the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sixties girl groups and the Velvet Underground's rain-dance pulse. It makes for a compelling blend of grays--lit by singer James Allan's high, bright hurrahs.

musicOMH.com

It's another debut album laid low by ravages of hype.

Uncut

If you’re simply after retro thrills, though, these boozy anthems will provide you with one very happy hour.

Blender

Glasvegas are often compared to the Jesus and Mary Chain, another great Scottish band that worshiped Phil Spector and the whammy pedal, but Mary Chain’s appeal was a chilly remoteness. Glasvegas make it cool to care.

Pitchfork

In their rush to be the UK's most important band, they seem to have ignored restraint, charisma, and charm--the qualities that made them Next Big Thing candidates in the first place.

Pitchfork

In their rush to be the UK's most important band, they seem to have ignored restraint, charisma, and charm--the qualities that made them Next Big Thing candidates in the first place.

Slant Magazine

Frustrating but intermittently brilliant, Glasvegas could have made a strong EP, but instead stands as a flawed full-length that's been primped and stretched beyond its means.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

It's a textbook example of a promising debut from a humorless band that has nowhere to go but down after the opening cut.

Sputnikmusic

Musically, this is a very good record, one that might have been worth as much as a 4.5 with a different vocalist.

The New York Times

Glasvegas is determinedly provincial, insisting there is grandeur in everyday lives. But what sounds rousing in Britain can sound sodden and overwrought to American ears.

The average user rating for this album is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 46 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Matt W gave it a10:
Flat out the best release of 2008. Why? It had great melodies, genuine sincerity and passion, grandiose and blissful sound layering and without question one of the most unique and talented vocalists of the decade. I'm picky as hell with my tunes and I don't buy into hype and shite, so I say without hesitation that this is a record that will last through the ages. Hands down.

Brian gave it a9:
Outstanding Scottish indie guitar pop. Lush production and a thick Scottish accent make the songs envelope you like a thick sweater. Lyrics are less allegorical than what you get from the current hipster North American indie bands like Fleet Foxes, but the music won't put you to sleep like the latter will. If you like Oasis, The Editors, JAMC, Pablo Honey-era Radiohead, Snow Patrol, etc, you probably will like this a great deal.

Stevie B gave it a10:
James Allen is a gifted songwriter and Glasvegas may just have released a perfect album. These songs just won't leave after sitting in yours ears a couple times. Sounds like a 50'S band recorded in the 80's for the 2000's. Magnificient.

Kym P. gave it a5:
Musically, it's not too bad. It has some catchy, well fleshed out hooks and reasonable song progression. But, just as Jay K mentioned, the lyrics are atrocious. Daddy's Gone is indeed, juvenile...but listening to the track 'Stabbed' is simply painful. Also, the multiple quoting of known rhymes or pop references "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..", "Liar liar pants on fire" "What's the story, morning glory" etc is sickening. Ugh.

Launce R. gave it a9:
This is a powerful piece of holiday counter-programming.

daniel w gave it a7:
The Brit music press seems able to generate a "band of the century" every six months. Glasvegas is the latest. Not bad, simply not up to the ridiculous hype. There are some arresting musical moments, though.

craig gave it a10:
Simply the best debut record to come out of the UK since franz ferdinand if not oasis. brilliant!!!

Glasvegas by Glasvegas

Glasvegas
by Glasvegas