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Faded Seaside Glamour trades in the band's dreary English roots for radiating waves and rays of '60s California pop. It's a slick transition, an honest presentation soaked in Delays' crisp musicianship and the foursome's lush harmonies.
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Alternative PressThe music you'd imagine might play as you ascend to heaven--or the soundtrack to the WB's next teen drama. [Aug 2004, p.118]
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Winsome and striking.
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BlenderDelays have found a way to combine the sparkling harmonies of the Byrds with the glorious noise of My Bloody Valentine, and still sound as fresh and surprising as a London heat wave. [#27, p.134]
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[Gilbert’s] chirping voice is such a spectacle at times, you won’t know whether to laugh or punch a hole in the wall.
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Unfortunately, though, almost a third of the album is devoted to namby-pamby ballads which, stripped of the band’s trademark sugary hooks, sound truly wispy by proportion.
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Entertainment WeeklyWhere the [Cocteau] Twins tended toward soft-focus, the Delays are more rocking, thanks to a big-bottomed rhythm section. [21 May 2004, p.77]
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There's a very good record in this band. This isn't it.
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It isn’t the place of a debut to straddle styles as diverse as harmony-drenched 60’s beat-soul, the shoegazing sound-paintings of the 80’s and relaxed futurism of now, yet this is their debut, and it covers all this and more.
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MagnetKind of like the Cocteau Twins if Don Ho produced their albums. [#64, p.86]
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If there's a clear problem with the album, it lies in the sugar-coated crystalline sheen that surrounds everything.
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Despite occasional moments of album filler, Delays have still given us an album with at least three slices of timeless pop.
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Despite some strong ideas and a few memorable songs, Faded Seaside Glamour remains notable mostly for the vocals: the album's ups and downs follow Gilbert's voice almost exactly, best when he's hitting high notes, mundane when he's not.
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If The Delays had succeeded in making the latter five-sixths of their debut as wondrous as the first portion, they could be credited with fair miracles.
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There is an element of beauty in Delays that is rare to find these days, and with such an accomplished debut they have an excellent shot at growing into something truly special.
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Q MagazineTeeters between over-studied perfection and heavenly pop glory. [May 2004, p.101]
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Rolling StoneGenteel, eminently tuneful. [24 Jun 2004, p.179]
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Though Faded Seaside Glamour proudly wears the jacket of its influences for all to see, the band stitch it up so well that you could never accuse it of being a knockoff.
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Nice enough melodies and average tunes are repeatedly elevated by the superlative, rich and detailed production which makes Delays sound like a much better band than they actually are.
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It stands out from the pack thanks to lead vocalist Greg Gilbert.
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The first British guitar band in a decade to lay a serious claim to the melodic guitar pop throne invented by the Byrds and the Hollies, and last occupied by the Stone Roses and the La's.
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You can't tell a word Greg Gilbert is saying... and you won't care; his soaring falsetto is that beautiful.
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After a great start, Faded Seaside Glamour loses its way and ultimately fails to inspire.
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UncutUltimately, it's that out-of-time devotion--along with soaring choruses to put most contemporaries to shame--which makes this a debut record to cherish. [May 2004, p.104]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 6
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Mixed: 0 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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johnApr 25, 2005
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TimE.Jan 13, 2005
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FSJul 20, 2004Summer itself