CD reviews: Glasvegas, Scarface

Glasvegas, "Glasvegas" (Columbia)

The Jesus and Mary Chain and Bruce Springsteen cherish the three-chord structures and hefty beats of the old Phil Spector girl-group productions. Glasvegas has built its sound on the same foundation. From the Jesus and Mary Chain -- which, like Glasvegas, is from Glasgow -- come swaths of reverberation and guitar tremolo. And from Springsteen come tales of misfortune and whoa-whoa choruses that call for sing-alongs. Nearly all the songs on "Glasvegas," the band's debut album (which reached No. 2 in Britain and Ireland this past fall), are anthems of trauma and loneliness. Over doo-wop chord changes, "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" wallows in all the ways the singer has messed up his life. In "Geraldine," a woman promising hope and comfort turns out to be his social worker. Between the bouts of self-pity, Glasvegas often reflects on fatherhood. In "Flowers and Football Tops" a father learns his son has been killed. A son faces his parents' impending divorce in "Daddy's Gone." The combination of pomp and dishevelment is particularly British, and singer James Allan has a thick Scottish burr. But what sounds rousing in Britain can sound sodden and overwrought to American ears.

JON PARELES, NEW YORK TIMES

Scarface, "Emeritus" (Rap-A-Lot)

Since the late 1980s this Houston rapper, both solo and as a member of the Geto Boys, has been hip-hop's pre-eminent existentialist. He has rapped about life as if it were a long-departed enemy, unable to do him any more damage. His mood can be leavened, though. "Emeritus" is Scarface's ninth solo album and also among his breeziest, with just a touch of nimbleness animating his reliably sleepy growl over surprisingly exuberant production. The peppy "High Powered" sounds like a car braking over and over again; the smooth soul on "Can't Get Right" recalls the production that Kanye West contributed to Scarface's 2002 release "The Fix." Even while death hangs over his music, Scarface doesn't overlook life's charms (the flirty "High Note") or its nuisances, indicting CVS and Pfizer for predatory drug-pricing (on "Can't Get Right"). He's most comfortable in the abyss. Over pungent keyboard stabs on "It's Not a Game," Scarface sounds relaxed, imagining for himself a long-awaited meeting with the other side.