Galaxie 500 - 'Uncollected Galaxie 500' (Rykodisc)
4/5
By: Lauren Gallagher
Cowell, you bastard. Mass media hype can make anyone a star. Hundreds of overrated, and often talentless, 'pop stars' become household names overnight (i.e. Joss Stone), while the groundbreaking creativity of bands such as Galaxie 500 remain in the class of 'little known, underrated genius' and fizzle away - with the exception of a few elitist listeners.
The musical unit known as Galaxie 500 finally solidified after high school buddies Damon Krukowski (drums), Dean Wareham, and Naomi Yang (bss) graduated from Harvard in the late 80's.
They started off well. Their debut 'Today' (1988) remains at the forefront of the shoegazer movement, while ploughing a distinctly stateside furrow. But Galaxie's naval-gazing noise gained them more attention in the UK than in the US. As a result, their 2nd album, the acclaimed 'On Fire', was released on Rough Trade. In 1990, their 3rd and final album 'This Is Our Music' brought them the success they deserved, both on their home shores and in Europe. The following year, Wareham left the band, and Galaxie 500 dispersed, becoming a name buried in the bargain bins of your local record shop.
Until today. Thanks to Rykodisc's release of previously 'uncollected' Galaxie tracks, 'Uncollected Galaxie 500' draws attention to some of the best of Galaxie's work, rare covers, and session outtakes. Fuzzy guitar runs the gamut between dark distortion, jangle pop, western twang, and dreamy sequences.
And 'Can't Believe It's Me''s glowing guitar could remedy any hangover with its warm tones and rhythmic swagger, gently bringing us to life. 'Walking Song' does the near opposite; its joyful swing and crisp guitar incite a gleeful skip, while Wareham's vocals lightly skim over the top. The genius humour of 'Crazy', meanwhile, is enough to make anyone smile: 'You're so old, you must be 23/You spent the year, in a drunken frenzy,' wavers Wareham's voice with an ironically frail crackle. The compilation also includes a strung-out take on The Beatles' timeless 'Rain', which segues into their noisy epic 'Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste'.
Unquestionable, their brief career gained them a respected, cultish following among the music intelligentsia, no doubt due to such arch originality; no-one else really sounded quite like them. Galaxie's influence can be heard in both American and British rock of the early 90's, and beyond. After Galaxie, Wareham founded Luna, while Krukowski and Yang teamed up as 'Damon and Naomi', although the former met with more success than the latter.
'Uncollected...', though, proves that a retrospective doesn't have to look back, but can look forward towards future innovation. Galaxie 500 may never become a household name, but 'Uncollected' proves exactly why they should be.
Artists in this article: Galaxie 500
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