Onto the second album in my list, and it’s Glasvegas’s self-titled debut album*. As always, if you missed my original post, please check out “ten perfect albums” first.

Discovery

I’m not entirely sure quite when I discovered Glasvegas. It’s possible it started just with hearing their first chart single, “Geraldine” on the radio. However it really took hold when I found I shared a love for the band with my boss at the time, a man who otherwise has dubious taste in both music and football.

I think for ages I only had a downloaded copy of the album, but later picked up a second hand CD to make me feel better. Glasvegas are more ‘indie’ than I usually get into, but something about their sound stood out to me.

Standout songs

Predictable as you like, but Geraldine remains a firm favourite. I’d never heard anything like it before, and pretty much haven’t since. Hands down the best song I know about a social worker.

Headline for the album is probably the heart-wrenching “It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry”. The song climbs as the vocals spiral in despair, sure it’s depressing as hell, but it’s impossible not to sing along.

As the first track on the album, Flowers & Football Tops sets the scene for the whole thing. The euphoric sound, the distinctive Scottish vocals, it quickly establishes tone. The song is also brutally sad once the lyrics sink in.

It’s perhaps more subtle than The Smiths’ “Girlfriend in a Coma” but I can’t help but draw a parallel. I remember being pretty young when my sister Heather would describe parties in the 80s where everyone would sit around listening to the Smiths, feeling awful. Yet would likely all describe what a great time they’d had when discussing it later. I think I get it.

Relationship with the album

This album was instrumental in my finally getting round to putting this list together. As I mentioned in my Placebo post, I’ve been keeping an eye out for gigs from my favourite artists. Last year Glasvegas toured a 10th anniversary of this album, and came to Brighton. I got tickets and dragged my friend Sam along. (He’s not a huge fan, but has sung Daddy’s Gone with me on SingStar numerous times…)

They played the album live in its entirety. It was an amazing set, incredible to hear the whole piece live. Before the gig I outlined my idea for this list to Sam, and we continued the discussion into the night afterwards. I committed then to putting my list down and blogging about it. I’m still interested to also hear his list, although his first draft was Slayer’s “Reign in Blood”, ten times. So we’ll see.

Glasvegas also re-released the album on vinyl to celebrate its tenth anniversary. I couldn’t resist picking it up at the gig.

Glasvegas

In many ways I’m the worst kind of Glasvegas fan. The follow-up albums passed me by, as they sadly did with most people. I do enjoy tracks from “EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\” but listening to it mostly just sends me back here. They did however release the incredible EP “A Snowflake Fell (And it Felt Like a Kiss)“* shortly after the album debut. I discovered that late too, but it has become essential festive listening.

Those of you who have followed me on Twitter for a while will also recognise the photo below. Although I changed it recently, it was my avatar on there for years. Pretty sure I’m still using it in some places, despite the photo being almost 10 years old. I was very pleased to discover the T-Shirt still fit when I dug it out for the gig.

Conclusion

This isn’t the only indie album to make the top ten, but it is the only one that I’d describe as actively bleak. (Potential spoiler that there won’t be any Radiohead coming up…) Glasvegas are not alone in struggling to follow up an incredibly successful first album. I’m sure many would describe them as a ‘one album wonder’. For me, it wouldn’t matter if they had never released anything else. I consider this album, “Glasvegas”, perfect.

*As usual, these links are affiliate ones, which may earn me a small commission if you buy something.