''Faded Seaside Glamour'' is the debut studio album by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band Delays, released on 5 April 2004 through

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...

. After the end of their previous band Corky, the members formed Delays; lead singer Greg Gilbert recruited his brother Aaron, a keyboardist, into the band after hearing him play a loop. The band signed to Rough Trade Records after its founder

Geoff Travis Geoff Travis (born 2 February 1952) is the founder of both Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade chain of record shops. A former drama teacher and owner of a punk record shop, Travis founded the Rough Trade label in 1976. Biography Travis wa ...

saw them perform live. Delays recorded the album in three months with producers Duncan Lewis and Graham Sutton at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Recording studios Rockfield is a two-stu ...

Rockfield, Monmouthshire Rockfield is a small village in the community of Whitecastle, Monmouthshire, Southeast Wales. It is located beside the River Monnow, about north-west of Monmouth, at the junction of the B4233 to Abergavenny and the B4347 to Grosmont. Rockfield ...

, Dustsucker Sound in Hackney, London, and Moles Studio in

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

. ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' is an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

and

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

album that has been compared to the works of

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and

The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike ...

, and Greg Gilbert's vocals have been compared to those of

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

and

Elizabeth Fraser Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963) is a Scottish singer. She was the vocalist for the band Cocteau Twins, who achieved success in the UK from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Their studio albums '' Victorialand'' (1986) and '' H ...

. Music critics gave ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' generally favourable reviews; some critics praised the band's musicianship and others highlighted Gilbert's vocals. The album charted at number 17 in the United Kingdom and it was certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI). The

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

"Nearer Than Heaven" initially reached number 91 on the UK Singles Chart, but after its reissue in March 2004, it peaked at number 21. The second single, "Hey Girl", entered at number 40. In January 2004, "Long Time Coming" was released as the third single and peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The latter release was followed the next month by a performance at the

NME Awards The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding o ...

. In July 2004, Delays toured the United States with Cardia and Paula Kelly. The band then returned to the UK, where they supported Franz Ferdinand and

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...

, and ended the year with a headlining UK tour.

Background and recording

Vocalist and guitarist Greg Gilbert, bassist Colin Fox and drummer Rowly performed as the

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

act Corky, which also featured Gilbert's brother Aaron Gilbert on keyboards. They attracted some attention in their home city

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

but broke up in 2001. The same year, the first three regrouped under the name Delays, taking influences from 1960s rock and the keyboard work of

. Delays made CD samplers, which consisted of "Nearer Than Heaven", "You Wear the Sun" and "Zero Zero One", and sent them to record labels. They began recording their debut album with

Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1954) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from rock ...

in mid-2001 but it was later scrapped. Gilbert's brother Aaron, a keyboardist and previously a member of Corky, was interested in

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

music. At this point, he created a loop of what would become the song "Wanderlust". Greg played along to the loop, which marked Aaron's introduction to the band.

, the founder of

, saw Delays perform live; he was impressed by the sound and promptly signed them. The band gave the label a five-song acoustic demo that featured "Hey Girl", "Satellites Lost", "Wherever You Fall I Die", "Overlover" and "Hideaway". They started touring with acts Tim Burgess of the Charlatans,

the Sleepy Jackson The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist ...

and

the Thrills The Thrills are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 2001. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their b ...

, which brought Delays attention from critics in Europe and the United States. ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' was recorded during three months; Aaron Gilbert had been a member of Delays for only a few months up to now. Duncan Lewis and the band produced tracks "Wanderlust", "Nearer Than Heaven", "You Wear the Sun", "Hey Girl", "There's Water Here", "Satellites Lost" and "One Night Away", all of which were recorded with engineer Phil Aul at

, Wales. "Bedroom Scene" and "On" were recorded at Dustsucker Sound in Hackney, London while "Long Time Coming", "No Ending" and "Stay Where You Are" were recorded at Moles Studio in

, all with producer and engineer Graham Sutton of

Bark Psychosis Bark Psychosis is an English post-rock band/musical project from east London formed in 1986. They are one of the bands that Simon Reynolds cited when coining "post-rock" as a musical style in 1994, and are thus considered one of the key bands d ...

. Paul Corkett also engineered "Long Time Coming", "No Ending" and "Stay Where You Are". Sutton then mixed the recordings at Dustsucker Sound.

Composition

Tim Den of ''Lollipop Magazine'' described the album's title ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' as an "abandoned boardwalk" that "still soaks up and reflects the summer sun, but is no longer the vibrant, cherished locale showered with people's love". Gilbert said the album's working title was ''Take Some Home with You'' because the band members were "all telling people to 'take some (flyers) home with you' after the gigs". Greg Gilbert said they also considered titling the album ''Our True Intent Is All for Your Delight'', which is a reference to a book of photography by John Hinde. ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' is an

and

album that evokes the sound of bands

, Cocteau Twins and

, with elements of

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

and

The Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer MacKenzie Wilson said Gilbert provides a "lamblike falsetto, an intriguing arrangement that's both gentle and slightly unrefined" while ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' contributor Stephen M. Deusner compared it to a "less abrasive Billy Corgan f The Smashing Pumpkins">The_Smashing_Pumpkins.html" ;"title="f The Smashing Pumpkins">f The Smashing Pumpkinsor a less earthy Mike Scott [of The Waterboys]". Some reviewers referred to Gilbert as the male version of

from

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

or Cocteau Twins frontwoman

. The opening track "Wanderlust" follows a

Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian ...

-lite

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

and is anchored around calypso-esque

steel drum The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared Trinidad and Tobago’s national in ...

s with Greg and Aaron Gilbert singing vocal harmonies. "Nearer Than Heaven" consists of loud guitars and

echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

, and is in the style of the band Geneva. When Greg Gilbert wrote "Nearer Than Heaven" in 1998, he thought it dealt with

Catholic guilt Catholic guilt is the reported excess guilt felt by Catholics and lapsed Catholics. Guilt is remorse for having committed some offense or wrong, real or imagined. It is related to, although distinguishable from, "shame", in that the former invol ...

but in 2020 he said; "now I think it's about finding the transcendent in everyday life". The chorus section and vocal melody heard in "Long Time Coming" recall the later work of The Waterboys; on this track, Gilbert sings in a slightly rougher tone than that of the rest of the album. Aaron Gilbert wrote the track's synth part, in which he tried to emulate the sound of a creaking door, from a dream he had. The band wrote the song in the Gilberts' parents' house; Greg Gilbert said it is about their friend Steve, who died in a car crash in 2003. Gilbert wrote the lyrics to "Bedroom Scene" in a field near his parents' house while its melody was borrowed from a song by

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

. It evokes "

Rhiannon Rhiannon () is a protagonist (main character) of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, Mabinogi, in its First and Third Branches. She originates only in these prose tales, with just a couple of references in 14thC mediaeval Welsh poetry, and none ...

" (1976) by Fleetwood Mac due to its melancholy atmosphere; its muted piano saw comparison to the work of U2 and their album ''

War War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

'' (1983), and the

palm mute The palm mute is a technique for guitar and bass guitar known for its muted sound. It is performed by placing the side of the picking hand across the guitar's strings, close to the bridge, while picking. The name is a misnomer as the muting is ...

d guitar parts to the music of

Mike and the Mechanics Mike and the Mechanics (stylised as Mike + The Mechanics) are a British rock supergroup formed in Dover in 1985 by Mike Rutherford, initially as a side project during a hiatus period for his other group Genesis. The band are known for the hit ...

. "Bedroom Scene" was initially intended to be a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

but the band liked the way the track sounded during recording. Aaron Gilbert often played the piano section when the rest of the band were preparing to rehearse, it eventually evolved into a song when the other members began playing along to it. On "No Ending", Greg Gilbert emulates the vocal style of

Brett Anderson Brett Lewis Anderson (born 29 September 1967) is an English singer best known as the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted the Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004� ...

from

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, Textile, fabrics, Handbag, purses, furniture, and other items. Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and m ...

, while the music recalls the work of

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ...

and

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (raised as Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a cult following in the early 1990s performing at venues in ...

. Greg Gilbert said the song was inspired by Michael Head and his previous band

Shack A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction. Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually r ...

. The

guitar pop Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock and college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering and arpeggiated tone, often created using 12-string elect ...

song "You Wear the Sun" was also intended as a B-side. "Hey Girl" is reminiscent of the work of The Byrds and " There She Goes" (1988) by The La's. "Stay Where You Are" toys with

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

, and includes elements of the sound of

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

and

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

, and is followed by acoustic ballads "There's Water Here" and "Satellites Lost". Gilbert said "There's Water Here" acts as a companion to "Wanderlust", highlighting the guitar riff and its lyrics as being related. "Satellites Lost" is about Greg Gilbert's anxiety about travelling. The Travis-lite song "One Night Away" was written in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

while listening to Big Star. The album concludes with the

neo-psychedelic Neo-psychedelia is a genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the music production approaches and songwriting of 1960s psychedelia, either exploring emulations of the sounds of the era or applying its ethos to new styles of music ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

track "On", which was referred to as the band's own iteration of "

I Am the Resurrection "I Am the Resurrection" is a song by the Stone Roses and the final song on the UK version of their debut album. The last four minutes of the song is an instrumental outro. The single was released on 30 March 1992, and reached number 33 on ...

" (1989) by

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

. Greg Gilbert said they wanted a counterpoint to the opening of "Wanderlust"; Aaron Gilbert came up with what his brother described as the "sound of ships leaving the harbour, filling out the album concept".

Release

On 7 April 2003, "Nearer Than Heaven" was released as a single that also includes "Way Smooth" and "Over and Out" as

s. The music video for "Nearer Than Heaven" shows friends on the band members plugging headphones into soil and nearby trees in

New Forest National Park The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

. The following month, Delays embarked on a tour of the UK with Clearlake. "Nearer Than Heaven" was reissued on 22 March 2004; the CD version includes "Quiet" and a live version of "Long Time Coming" as the B-sides; the seven-inch vinyl edition includes a demo of "Whenever You Fall I Die" as the B-side; and the DVD version includes "Way Smooth", a demo of "Over and Out" and the music video for "Nearer Than Heaven". "Hey Girl" was released as a single on 21 July 2003. Two editions were released on CD; the first with "Zero Zero One" and "Overlover" as extra tracks and the other includes "Whenever You Fall I Die" and the music video for "Hey Girl". The single was promoted with a tour of the UK with

Easyworld Easyworld were an English indie alternative rock/pop band hailing from Eastbourne, consisting of David Ford (musician), David Ford on vocals, Jo Taylor on Bass guitar, bass and Glenn Hooper on Drum kit, drums, active between 1997 and 2004. The ...

. "Long Time Coming" was released as a single on 19 January 2004. The CD version includes "Chicago" as the B-side; the seven-inch vinyl edition includes "Hand Me Downs" as the B-side; and the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

version includes "Hand Me Downs", "Swallowing the Silence" and the music video for "Long Time Coming". On 8 February 2004, Delays performed at

London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England, that operated from 1976 to 2009. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in t ...

as part of a special

show. Gilbert asked Rough Trade to contact Bodys Isek Kingelez with the intent of using one of his images for the album's cover. Rough Trade were unable to contract Kingelez so Gilbert began sketching out the cover; he used the same colour scheme as the cover of ''The Best of the Beach Boys 1970-1986: The Brother Years'' (2000) by

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

and the same

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

as the cover of ''

Loveless Loveless may refer to: Comics and literature * Loveless (comics), ''Loveless'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin, Danijel Zezelj, and Werther Dell'Edera * Loveless (manga), ''Loveless'' (manga), a manga series by Y ...

'' (1991) by My Bloody Valentine. ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' was released on 5 April 2004 through Rough Trade. The album came out as

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as indie rock revival) is a Music genre, subgenre or movement of indie rock that emerged in the early 2000s as a stripped-down and back-to-basics version of Guitar-rock, guitar rock inspired by the original sounds a ...

labelmates

the Libertines The Libertines are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, included John Hassall ...

and

the Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...

were peaking in popularity, which was something Travis wanted Delays to resist. In June 2004, the band appeared at

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, which was followed by a performance at the Fleadh festival. In July 2004, Delays toured the US for the first time alongside Cardia and Paula Kelly. In September 2004, Delays supported Franz Ferdinand on their headlining US tour, and went on a headlining UK tour in October and November 2004. "Wanderlust" was used as the B-side to the non-album single "Lost in a Melody", which was released in November 2004. The band ended 2004 supporting

at two of their headlining shows. ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' was re-pressed on vinyl in 2023; Aaron Gilbert pushed for this edition to be released following the death of Greg Gilbert by cancer in 2021. A print was included that featured a painting that the latter Gilbert had made while dealing cancer, while a message from the former is included on the back of it.

Reception

Music critics gave ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' generally favourable reviews; at

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 70, which is based on 24 reviews. When evaluating Gilbert's vocals, AllMusic reviewer MacKenzie Wilson complimented Greg Gilbert's voice and Delays' "honest to goodness melodic tones". Deusner said Gilbert has "an impressive voice: Earthbound, it has a grainy, adenoidal whine" that "sounds startling and strikingly androgynous" when reaching for

high notes ''High Notes'' is the thirty-fourth studio album by American musician Hank Williams Jr. It was released by Elektra Records, Elektra/Curb Records in April 1982, making it Williams' eighth studio album for Elektra/Curb and his ninth overall for the ...

. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' Dorian Lynskey said Gilbert's "unashamedly effeminate, gossamer falsetto" acts as a "curveball", merging with "melodies so fresh they could have wafted in from across the Solent". Mike Davidson of ''

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site featuring music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 in ...

'' said Gilbert's "dreamy falsetto" helps separate the band from their peers, something Noel Murray of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' echoed. According to No Ripchord writer D.C. Harrison, Gilbert is "in possession of a memorable voice that gives the song an air of '' Cupid and Psyche '85'' era

Scritti Politti Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band. Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist poli ...

romanticism". In a positive review, Wilson called ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' an "honest presentation" that displays the band's "crisp musicianship and the foursome's lush harmonies". Davidson praised its "considerable scope and ambition" as "magnificent". ''

God Is in the TV ''God Is in the TV'' is an independent music and culture online magazine founded by editor Bill Cummings in Cardiff in 2003. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interviews, podcasts and media. The webzine's coverage varies from uns ...

'' writer Steven Daniels said ''Faded Seaside Glamour'', unlike some albums that place the best tracks near the beginning, "picks up pace just when it needs to and there's no filler in sight". Deusner said Delays "never to rely on Gilbert's pipes to justify themselves" because they "bolster their ephemeral sound with studied songcraft and an array of touchstones". ''

Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a monthly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who cont ...

'' Phil Udell said the album has a "real uniqueness of spirit and approach at work here that few others have been able to match of late". In a mixed review, Drowned in Sound Tom Edwards wrote while ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' "falls somewhat flat on the quality meter", when the "formula works, the results are never less than glorious". He went to call nearly a third of it "devoted to namby-pamby ballads" that are "stripped of the band's trademark sugary hooks". Barry Nicolson of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' stated the album's main flaw is its "sugar-coated crystalline sheen that surrounds everything". ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' reviewer Nick Southall wrote there are " ce enough melodies and average tunes ... which makes Delays sound like a much better band than they actually are"; Harrison called the album a "proverbial mixed bag" that has "occasional moments of album filler". Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

gave the album a "dud" rating. ''Faded Seaside Glamour'' peaked at number 17 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

; the

certified it silver. Initially, "Nearer Than Heaven" charted at number 91 in the UK Singles Chart. Its reissue peaked at number 21 in the UK and at number 25 in the

Scottish Singles chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

. "Hey Girl" charted at number 40 in the UK and at number 59 in Scotland. "Long Time Coming" charted at number 16 in the UK and at number 24 in Scotland.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the booklet of ''Faded Seaside Glamour''.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the booklet of ''Faded Seaside Glamour''. Delays * Greg Gilbertlead vocals, guitar * Colin Foxbass, backing vocals * Rowlydrums * Aaron Gilbertprogramming, keys, backing vocals Production and design * Duncan Lewisproducer (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7 and 9–11) * Delaysproducer (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7 and 9–11) * Phil Aultengineer (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7 and 9–11) * Graham Suttonproducer (tracks 3–5, 8 and 12), engineer (tracks 3–5, 8 and 12), mixing * Paul Corkettengineer (tracks 3, 5 and 8) * Jeff Teadersleeve design * Greg Gilbertoutside tray drawing

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

External links

''Faded Seaside Glamour''
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(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 2004 debut albums Delays albums Rough Trade Records albums