Faded Seaside Glamour [Import]

Delays | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 20, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Toshiba EMI
• ASIN: B0000TCMFC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,826,791 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wanderlust

2. Nearer Than Heaven

3. Long Time Coming

4. Bedroom Scene

5. No Ending

6. You Wear the Sun

7. Hey Girl

8. Stay Where You Are

9. There's Water Here

10. Satellites Lost

11. One Night Away

12. On

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Delays singer-guitarist Greg Gilbert has such an incredible voice that he might be the only man in rock who has drawn comparisons to both Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and the Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser. That's just the first sign that this English band is not just another standard-issue moody Coldplay knockoff. Instead, the music on its debut album conjures the blissed-out guitar-and-grooves sound of classic English groups like the Stone Roses and the La's, with each of the three opening songs delivering devastating knockouts. The rest of the disc doesn't easily repeat the feat but the band's exuberant spirit easily carries through. -- Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Limited European pressing features original 12 tracks plus a DVD (PAL/Region ) with the videos for 'Nearer Than Heaven', 'Hey Girl' & 'Long Time Coming' along with an exclusive interview with the band and previously unreleased live tracks filmed for the New Kings Of Rock And Roll series. The four-piece Delays are the best thing to emerge from Southampton since Le God menaced opposition teams at the Dell. They produce the sound of the West Coast mixed with the epic atmospherics that only wind-swept winters on a British beach can evoke. Warped, yes, but a comforting treat nonetheless. 'Wanderlust' kicks things off with a calypso shuffle that signals this debut album's intent immediately. Two of the band's singles follow, both infectious blasts of summer guaranteed to have you yearning for August. 'Nearer Than Heaven' is a string-soaked nod to Britpop's prime, full of Byrdsian harmonies whilst 'Long Time Coming' is a U2-meets-Teenage Fanclub belter that had the NME proclaiming, 'this is just solid as fuck - a veritable rock of a record'. Elsewhere, we're treated to the jangle-pop classics 'Hey Girl' & 'One Night Away', whilst the 80s revival is plundered on the synth backdrop to 'Bedroom Scene' & the electro-rocking 'Stay Where You Are'. In between, Delays conjure up a lovely line in delicate balladry notably on the breathtaking 'No Ending' & the pretty 'Satellites Lost'. 'Faded Seaside Glamour' is a remarkable debut album. Recalling the mature majesty of prime Fleetwood Mac, the Beach Boys & the Byrds, this is harmony-driven brilliance that points to an illustrious future. Magical & mesmerizing Delays have been a long time coming but thank god they're here now. *Please note you will need an All Code DVD player to view. Rough Trade. 2005. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Next Big Thing, August 26, 2004

By 

Mark Freedman (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faded Seaside Glamour (Audio CD)

One of those rare debuts that you'll probably remember for the rest of your life. I was absolutely shocked when I found out they were all male. But after watching a video of their's, it definitely fits.

Wanderlust (10) - The intro is a surprise, and then they hit you with those Cockteau Twin wails. Incredibly beautiful. Dreamy. Spacy. Angelic. Everything I ever wanted from music.

Nearer Than Heaven (10) - Can it get any better? Absolutely. My second favorite from the album. These harmonies send shivers. I'm now addicted. But wait, there's more...

Long Time Coming (10) - Favorite from the album, and maybe song of the year. Not only are they off to an amazing vocal start, you also begin to realize what great musicians they are. Man, I can't wait to see these guys live. You know what? This may be the best first-three-song combo on an album since The Joshua Tree. I am dead serious. Ok, 25% through the album, and so far, so perfect.

Bedroom Scene (8) - I first felt that this song started a stretch of several ho-hum songs. I underrated it. I really like it now. They continue to amaze.

No Ending (6) - Well, they lose me a little here. Not a bad song, but I see myself skipping this. Drop the lowest grade, class.

You Wear The Sun (7) - It has its moments...but...I call this the "slow" part of the album now... With a few more listens, I expect both this and "No Ending" to grow on me. This one is starting to.

Hey Girl (9) - This is the comeback song. This is so 60's to early 70's. It is so AM. I love it! I can't believe what memorable tunes these are. The perfect melodies.

Stay Where You Are (9) - The intro is a bit out of left field here. But it makes sense once it gets going. This is so soundtrack. What I mean is, this song would sound amazing in a movie. These guys are artists. I'm I gushing yet? Does it show? Wow.

There's Water Here (7) - The ballad. Pretty, but nothing much more than that.

Satellites Lost (9) - Beautiful. Sounds like a Stevie Nicks song. Easily one of the nicest on the album.

One Night Away (8) - Such a summer song! This is your typical great song if it were on a typical album. But this isn't that album.

On (8) - Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour? This is from the grandchild of that album. Very cool closer.

Well, in summary, this is probably the best album since Coldplay's Rush of Blood to the Head, and one of the best debuts ever.

Buy it unhesitatingly. Yo, that means not requiring a decision. Uh, I mean buy it now! Before they're all gone!

Long live Delays.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a rare, amazing album, March 22, 2005

By 

Mary Kate Dick "music/fashion/design fan" (Cincinnati, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faded Seaside Glamour (Audio CD)

it's been a long time since i've randomly listened to the radio and just had my soul grabbed by a song. and it's been even longer since i've bought an album that has done the same. when i heard delays 'stay where you are' on 97x (www.woxy.com) a few months ago, i had to stop everything i was doing and just listen. the harmonies, the heavenly, jangly pop sound... it was awesome. and somehow i had this feeling that the rest of the album would be similar. from the first notes of the steel drums on 'wanderlust' to the ending harmonies of 'on,' the entire cd had me absolutely spell bound. it still does.

yes, as previous reviewers have noted, the first three tracks are strong. but i'd also include 'stay where you are' and 'on' in the strong tracks category. some tracks are more upbeat than others, but that's cool with me as the sound of the entire album is so consistently beautiful that i think it works whether happy or sad.

buy this album. it's beautiful. it resonates with every sad longing for a return to innocence, every desire to go somewhere more enticing and exotic than where you are right now. so cheesy, i know, but it's like a soundtrack for your soul.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Faded Seaside Glamour. Enchanting., July 29, 2004

By 

Wickerlove "Wickerlove" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faded Seaside Glamour (Audio CD)

The immediate thing I thought when I heard 'Faded Seaside Glamour', 4AD label, circa early 90's. Here's a band to namedrop, anyone remember Spirea X? Anyways enough of the nostalgia. Occasionally an old sound will resonate with a new audience, and The Delays seem to capture this. The CD falls in the hazy area between atmospheric dream-pop and Byrds-tinged Britpop...Cocteau Twins meets Suede, which in fact describes The Sundays, but in this case can also describe The Delays. Very similar in sound, ethereal, washes of echoing guitars, accompanied by high-pitched pixie-like vocals. The exquisitely high voice of Greg Gilbert (yes they are male) is the centrepiece of the album, straddling between Elizabeth Fraser and The Bangles-type melodies. Although not lost in this swirly haze are flashes of mid 90's Britpop swagger, upbeat and optimistic, I don't why but The Trash Can Sinatras suddenly came to mind. Upon conclusion the last third of the album switches into a more melancholic mood, drifting into Mazzy Star territory. 'Faded Seaside Glamour' might be the quick fix needed for a UK music scene that's eternally searching for something different, and worth a listen if you're searching for the same thing.