FADED SEASIDE GLAMOUR [CD]

If you were in your car during the summer of 2003, heard "Hey Girl" on the radio and felt the urge to turn the volume up, you know that the Delays can turn out a good pop tune. Their long-awaited debut Faded Seaside Glamour confirms their ability. The aforementioned single is here, along with the others--"Long Time Coming" and "Nearer Than Heaven"--and nine other guitar driven pop/rock songs, none of which disappoint. Although it could be said that the Delays are not the most original of pop bands, few would question their song writing or musicianship.

Greg Gilbert's almost falsetto vocal is the driving force; at times it sounds as if it's about to crack, but it never does. This is especially noticeable on "You Wear the Sun", one of the rockier numbers in the set, with a simple but stunning piano riff slipped in for good measure. "Stay Where You Are" stands out as being slightly different to the rest of the tracks on the album. It has a darker feel, with keyboards more prominent than the guitars; still, the melodies remain and it serves as a good contrast to the rest of the album.

"One Night Away" is a stomper of a song, reminiscent of the La's or Crowded House. There are also reminders of the Cocteau Twins, especially on the opening "Wanderlust". Such comparisons are fair, but the Delays are a fresh new band who produce good old-fashioned, sing-along pop music. --Jamie Clark

If the make-up of the music of the Delays appeared in a recipe book, it would be a very expensive list of ingredients; so rich and widespread are the influences that run through their sunshine sound.

Perhaps the most outstanding thing about the much-hyped Southampton four piece is the way they have managed to mesh those influences. They've taken in most of the late 80s and early 90s guitar bands and created Faded Seaside Glamour, an album that has shades of stunning beauty and some thrilling pop in amongst the bulk of the solid, if occasionally ordinary, songs.

There are several glorious moments on the album. "Wanderlust", the album opener, surprisingly kicks off with a steel drum and sounds like a Cocteau Twins cover, as brothers Aaron and Greg Gilbert's vocals combine in a swooning, purring harmony.

That meshed vocal is the delightful highlight of the Delays sound and the songs where it features most highly are the best on offer here. Be it in the heavenly Geneva-esque "Nearer Than Heaven", the driven roll of "Long Time Coming", the breezy "You Wear The Sun", or the gentle emotion of "There's Water Here", the sweeping majesty of the Gilbert boys' voices is pure gold.

They can write a pumping bassline too, even if it does make you suspect that their teenage years were spent listening to the Stone Roses. "Stay Where You Are" features asquelching bass that makes an average song excellent and the closing "On" is Delays' very own "I Am The Resurrection".

Boiled down and cooked out, Delays are a enjoyably delicious dish. It's enlightening to hear a band so proud of their influences and so able to weave them together into something new. Faded Seaside Glamour may not be the most original of albums but it is highly addictive. Dig in. --Chris Long

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DELAYS Faded Seaside Glamour (2004 UK 12-track CD album including the single Long Time Coming Nearer Than Heaven & Hey Girl)