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".[7]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."[5]Richie Unterberger of AllMusic was more reserved in his praise and felt that Spain succeed at evoking "a brooding, late-night atmosphere" with "seductive drones... and melancholy, pensive songs", while adding that the album is "a bit monotonous all at once" and would have benefited from a more expressive vocalist.[3]
In 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, critic Allison Stewart wrote that The Blue Moods of Spain "made up in style what it lacked in musical variation."[6] In 2012, Kitty Empire of The Observer described the album as "a gem of opiated heartbreak".[8]
