G
Given the lackluster quality of many of the Reid brothers’ output after 1992, their recent comeback single, “Jamcod,” was a pleasant surprise. It showcased a band that had reconnected with the blend of harmony and discord that made their 1980s records so electrifying. As their first album since the uneven “Damage and Joy” from 2017, it’s no shock that “Jamcod” stands out as the best track. However, much to one’s disbelief, “Glasgow Eyes” – which was recorded at the Castle of Doom studio in the city by Mogwai – offers plenty more that is nearly as impressive.
The Eagles and the Beatles is a knowing love letter to classic rock set to I Love Rock’n’Roll’s riff; the Suicide-adjacent Venal Joy reprises the mechanised throb of 1989’s Automatic; the more restrained Chemical Animal smoulders winningly, while Second of June recalls the prettiness that always lay beneath Psychocandy’s layers of feedback. There are inevitable longueurs as well, mind: Pure Poor gives dirges a bad name, and closer Hey Lou Reid fancies itself as an epic but instead just feels like an extraordinarily slow six minutes. Still, the fact that Glasgow Eyes is three-quarters of a good record is reason for celebration.
Source: theguardian.com
