Glasvegas Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\

Glasvegas are not a happy bunch, and though their self-titled debut proudly perpetuated Glasgow’s great musical heritage, the picture painted in its sombre, anthemic beauty wasn’t exactly an advertisement for Scotland’s second city. The mood was one of a maddening sadness ingrained into one life spent amidst that great looming conurbation; it’s almost heart-wrenching to consider whether vocalist James Allan ever heard that tested life lesson of “write what you know”. One part of me hopes that the new record's title Euphoric///Heartbreak\\\ might lend weight to the expectation that they have found a few highs with which to balance the lows. It is apt then that the opener Pain Pain Never Again spells out a mission statement to that effect. More than that, however, it sets the tone for the record – just as any intro should – with an almightily arranged collage of atmospheric sound, designed simply and plainly to pave the way for the reams of grandiosity that are to come.

And there is no reason to hide the aims behind this record: it is tortured, emotive stadia rock in a way that their self-titled debut never was. The World is Yours finds that very groove as it proclaims “If I’m your world / then the world is yours”, a bombasticly cheesy declaration, but in James Allan’s weighty Glaswegian tones it takes on a new gravity; if you can hold a line like that well there should be no guilt in it.

This record has allowed Glasvegas to shed the tough, beaten skin of their debut; it is universally more monumental and graceful in its purpose. They remain as introspective as ever, but they’ve moved on from despairing to euphoric; in fact the title probably sums the record up far more concisely than I could ever manage! Where its greatest success lies is that despite this sense of theatre, the sincerity of emotion is never in question. Given the great reservoirs of inspiration that this band seem to harbour, it is becoming increasingly apparent that they are not capable of just making a track for its own sake, with a killer riff and loose lyrics; that is just not what they do, and it’s a reassuring thought.

Be it the ringing melodic percussion of Whatever Hurts You Through The Night or the bitterly defiant Stronger Than Dirt (Homosexuality Part 2), whether you can empathise or not, this record has found a brutally resonant groove – a trait shared by its predecessor and one that with a rough beauty so complements its magnificent aspirations. Use of meter and tone in the latter culminates in a chorus of “They say we are sordid 'cause the way we walk and talk and flirt / They say we're dirty / I'm stronger than dirt.” A fine sentiment, sounded out to even finer effect.

It is the case, though, that if you make an album like this you very much risk producing something too vast and ridiculous and unworkable in practice. For the most part Euphoric///Heartbreak\\\ treads the fine, fine line well. It seems a shame that Euphoria, Take My Hand sees them stray a little. If there is one rule of anthemic rock it is to know your limitations; and this, the first single of the record, skirts those borders with just a little too much audacity. Conversely, some songs may suffer from lacking the requisite critical mass for such a recording; in particular You and I feel wrong (Homosexuality part 1) never quite fulfill their epic potential.

Euphoric///Heartbreak\\\ is not an easy listen – as I’ve already alluded to, it's a convincing notion that this four-piece remain incapable of that – and while it is more theatrically anthemic than the first album, it is equally credible and sincere. Despite the predictable fears for their second album, though, from Scotland to California, Glasvegas are in as healthy a shape as they ever were, and dammit I’m glad they are.