in a contemporary review, "melody maker" praised "the blue moods of spain" as "the most gorgeous music you'll hear all year", describing spain as "quiet masters of atmosphere, subtle craftsmen who weave a sumptuous, melodic spell with the lightest of instrumental touches". "nme" noted "a rich, glorious warmth to their songs that combines the melodic simplicity of... the velvet underground... the metronomic precision of spiritualized... and the heartbroken sentiment of the tindersticks." richie unterberger of allmusic was more mixed in his assessment and felt that spain succeed at evoking "a brooding, late-night atmosphere" with "seductive drones... and melancholy, pensive songs", but added that the album is "a bit monotonous all at once" and would have benefited from a more expressive vocalist. in "the new rolling stone album guide", critic allison stewart felt that "the blue moods of spain" "made up in style what it lacked in musical variation." retrospectively, kitty empire of "the observer" described the album as "a gem of opiated heartbreak".